02/25   After living in Berkeley for 6 years, today, for the first time,
        someone told me that he got a BPD jaywalking ticket in Berkeley (on
        Center, near BART, nothing particularly unsafe past the norm --- no
        cars coming or anything; just lots of HS kids around, since it was
        right after school). Has BPD just started ticketing for jaywalking?
        Have they been at it all along? What the hell, doesn't BPD have more
        worthwhile things to spend time on?
        \_ this is one issue where the nypd got it right.  after the mayor
           decided to crack down on jaywalking a reporter jaywalked in front
           of a cop and literally asked for a ticket, and they refused.
           the cops decided en masse that giving jaywalking tickets in
           a city like new york is total bullshit and refused to do it
           as a matter of policy.
           \_ Yeah it is better to slow traffic, get pedestrians killed, piss
              off drivers and make it 'normal' for the numerous crazy and
              the alzheimers inflicted old to wander into traffic.  If you'd
              ever been there to see someone get his, to see their body fly
              20 feet like a rag doll and blood pool on the street and flow
              into the sewer you might have a different attitude.  You're not
              an idiot but you are an arrogant know-it-all ignorant git.
              \_ What you're describing is a fine reason to push anti-
                 jaywalking educational material, not a law fining people
                 for doing it in front of cops.  No one wants to see anyone
                 get crushed by a car, but there's a limit to the efficacy of
                 legislating common sense.
        \_ I got one back in 1991--it's nothing new.  Depends on whether
           the cop's got a quota to fill, whether he got up on the wrong side
           of bed, cosmic rays, whatever.  Same as campus cops with bike
           riders--remember that students are easy, profitable targets. -John
        \_ I had one walking from the Power Bar building to check my car in
           parking meter at lunch.  Was a marginal infraction: I had started
           ~ 5m before the intersection (diagonal into the street) to reach
           the cross-walk which displayed the 'walk' signal by the time I
           reached striped lines.  Sargent was on opposing corner.  He had
           a gay lisp and an upside down flag on his lapel (this was
           a month or two after 9/11).  I describe it as 'walking while
           white' - a hate crime in Berkeley.
           \_ Son, how do you use your arm with that huge chip on your shoulder?
              \_ You sound just like the hateful racists you think you're
                 opposed to.  You're no different.  Intolerance hurts us all.
                 \_ Hey dimshit, thanks for censoring.
                    \_ I love how the answer to any good reply is always "I got
                       censored!".  I didn't censor you.  If you think you've
                       got something to say I can more than easily hold my own
                       with you or anyone else on here.  Fear of your sharp
                       wit and clever replies isn't on my top 10 worries list.
                       You're a hateful racist and need to deal with that.
                       \_ It's also worth pointing out that if you have
                          something more than a line long to say on the motd,
                          it's really not hard to save a copy and paste it
                          back in after it gets killed.  It's not like
                          you have to handwrite your motd posts.
        \_ It is an on and off thing.  Generally they are very lax about
           jaywalking, but every now and then they will crack down at
           very specific spots.  I suspect that happens right after an
           accident caused by jaywalking.  Also I've seen cops give people
           a hard time for jaywalking right in front of them, and if that
           person blows them off they tend to get a jaywalking ticket.  Cops
           seem to especially hate it when you slow down traffic by jaywalking.
           \_ Seconded.  I once crossed Durant against the light, stared
              down an oncoming car, and walked up onto the sidewalk,
              nearly into a cop standing there.  He yelled at me but as
              soon as he saw the look in my eyes (I was coming back from
              a far-too-long project meeting @ soda) he let it go.
              \_ So you're saying you struck fear into the heart of a BPD beat
                 cop?  Unlikely.
                 \_ I think he meant pity, not fear.
           \_ In these budget-crunching times, I'm sure they are feeling
              pressured to bring in money with small-time infractions.
        \_ i think they only do it now and then when there are high school kids
           around, because they want to impress upon people that they shouldn't
           be a bad influence.  i was stopped and written up once during the
           lunch hour, but i never actually got the ticket...  -lila