A viral video shared today over on Reddit has caused quite a stir, as it details police officers in the USA arresting individuals for jaywalking. What’s shocking about the footage is that the police officers’ vehicle is blocking the path, which is what’s forcing pedestrians to walk into the road. In other words, if the police vehicle wasn’t obstructing the sidewalk, the pedestrians wouldn’t be breaking the jaywalking traffic law in the first place.
It appears that the clip is recorded by police bodycam footage, and begins with a person of color walking towards the officer. The officer of the law then asks, “How are you doing, buddy? Can I talk to you real quick?” To this, the man shakes his head. The officer then continues, escalating the situation: “Okay, sounds good. You’re being stopped. Roadway safety because you’re walking in the middle of the road.“
In response, the man says, “Well, you’re kind of in the way. So, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” A second officer then interjects, declaring: “Okay, we’re just going to talk to you and let you know what the rules are now.”
“You have your ID with you?” asks the police officer. To which the man replies, “No.”
“You don’t have your ID with you? You have Florida licence or ID card?” Again, the person of color replies, “No.”
“Okay, I’m going to get your information because we’re going to write you a warning for it, okay? Just step over here please.” requests the officer.
The video then cuts to a little later on, with the officer talking about another lady who is also walking in the road, saying: “I’ll tell you one thing. If she walks up here, I’m going to give her one warning and then she’s going to jail.“
Interestingly, the police don’t stop everyone walking in the road, as the person of color who was first stopped points across the road, and exclaims: “It’s a dude walking the street right now, and they ain’t stopping him.” The officer retorts: “It’s because we’re with you right now, so when we’re done with you, we’ll get the next person.”
The clip culminates in another person of color being arrested. “I don’t know what’s going on.” he says as the police officers handcuff the man. “We’re not going to deal with this. This is how it works.” responds the officer.
In the video, text describing the scene reads: “1. Park Car On Sidewalk 2. Arrest People for Walking in the street“.
It didn’t take long for comments to come flooding in as the internet began examining the shocking viral clip. One of the most up-voted comments on Reddit described how the situation was clearly a ruse to check local names for warrants.
Nothing will convince me this isn’t just a disguised stop and frisk. Force you into the street just so they can give you a warning and run your name for warrants. Bulls*** ass cops.
00WORDYMAN1983
A second commenter chimed in reminding people that arguing with the police is not breaking the law, penning: “It’s not illegal to argue with police. Why do officers immediately arrest you if you disagree with them?”
Over on Instagram, one of the most up-voted comments came in from a further netizen who believed that the situation was racially motivated, declaring: “Walking while Black. Lawsuit.”
Lastly, legal analysts took to the comments in droves as well, with one poignantly writing: “This would honestly be a real case on entrapment.”
For those who are unaware, entrapment is a law enforcement technique that induces a person to commit a crime that the person would likely not have committed. While it’s frowned upon, it’s not actually illegal. Surprisingly, police officers who engage in entrapment are not subject to prosecution. It is deemed unethical, however, as attempting to bait otherwise innocent people into committing a crime is far from a moral method of policing.
