Being poor is not a crime, but, breaking the law is. The truth is that jaywalking is a crime, and I experienced it first hand when I first moved to Santa Monica some time ago. I was not poor, and neither was I rich. I broke the law, and even my unfamiliarity with jaywalking laws did not excuse the fact that I “innocently” broken the law, and therefore, I had to pay the fine. Where I come from, people jaywalk all the time. So, I learned a good lesson.
I am curious why Michael Golan is defending the individual who received a citation jaywalking at 6:30 a.m. on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles (SMDP, Letters to the Editor Feb. 20). The fact that this individual “safely crossed a quiet and empty street” very early in the morning does not negate that fact that the law was being broken.
If the driver of an automobile breaks the law “safely,” he may still be cited, even if the street is empty while doing so. It is my contention that drivers are cited all the time for “safely” breaking the law. The poor and the homeless are subject to the same laws and infractions thereof as everyone else. Whether they are the target of the police is a speculative and open to question.
The fact that this person cannot pay the purported $70 citation fee and therefore will not show up in court is inadvisable. Perhaps arrangements can be made with the court, and if this person does not show up, then he is only going to get another strike against his record. I question the validity of Mr. Golan’s statement which reads as follows: “As in most cases the judge sides with the police; he will be likely found guilty and if he accepts community service, he will only find out that he has to pay $60 to the community-based organization for the processing fee. Since he will not be able to do so, he will have to go to jail.”
How has Mr. Golan become so versed in the goings on in the court system, and community service, I wonder? I suggest that the person who received the citation appear in court, no matter what the outcome, to prevent further infringements.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 25, 2003. Read the original PDF.