citymeetings.nyc

Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.

TESTIMONY

Natalie Peeples, Director of Youth Justice Policy and Training at the Legal Aid Society, on the Disproportionate Impact of Jaywalking Enforcement on Black Youth

2:01:56

·

97 sec

Peeples highlights statistics showing that in 2023, 80% of youths under 18 who were ticketed for jaywalking were Black. A 2022 study in the Journal of Developmental Psychology found that adolescents stopped by police reported more disengagement at school and increased psychological distress.

She emphasizes that free and open streets should be a right for all New Yorkers regardless of skin color.
Peeples observed widespread jaywalking without enforcement during her walk to the hearing.
However, she notes that the youths she works with see unequal enforcement, where people who do not look like them are allowed to jaywalk without getting ticketed.

Natalie Peeples

2:01:56

Thank you.

2:01:57

Thank you for this opportunity to speak.

2:01:59

My name is Natalie Peoples, I am the director of the youth justice policy in training at the juvenile rights practice of the legal aid society.

2:02:08

We heard at the beginning of this hearing from counsel member, Narcis, about the statistics related to Jaywalking and the ticketing.

2:02:15

Of Jaywalking and its disproportionality.

2:02:17

What I wanna talk a little bit about is about a population that's there to my heart, which are our kids.

2:02:23

In 2023, there are statistics that are available in open data that shows that youth children.

2:02:30

So people under the age of 18 that were ticketed for Jaywalking, 80% of them were black.

2:02:39

Now, there was a study that was published in 2022 in the Journal of Developmental Psychology and it was studying, please stop and its impact on youth.

2:02:50

And it found that adolescents who were stopped by the police reported more disengagement at school and enhance psychological distress.

2:03:01

Now, free and open streets should be a right for all the Yorkers regardless of the color of their skin.

2:03:07

And that's not what's happening here in our city.

2:03:10

I walked from my office over here, and I lost count at about 10, the number of people who are Jaywalking.

2:03:16

The kids I work with see this happening in other parts of the city.

2:03:20

They see people who don't look like them who are allowed to jaywalker.

2:03:23

And who do not get ticketed.

2:03:25

As I said, free at OpenStreet should be available for everybody regardless of the color of

Diana Maurer

2:03:30

their skin.

2:03:31

Thank you.

Selvena N. Brooks-Powers

2:03:33

Thank you.

2:03:33

Next.

← Previous Chapter

Elizabeth Adams, Interim Co-Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, on Prioritizing Pedestrian Safety and Supporting Pedestrian-Friendly Legislation

Next Chapter →

Robin Felsher, Member of Families for Safe Streets, on the Pedestrian Safety Crisis and Need for Legislative Action in New York City