Anwar Peace: Walking while Black: Why it's time to repeal Washington's jaywalking laws
By Anwar Peace As a Black man living in Spokane, I know that 'walking while Black' – and crossing the street while Black – can be challenging and e...
By Anwar Peace As a Black man living in Spokane, I know that 'walking while Black' – and crossing the street while Black – can be challenging and even dangerous. Being a Black pedestrian has led to countless times in my life when police have stopped, detained, searched, arrested or jailed me. These incidents always involve the same probable cause, 'vehicular interference' or 'pedestrian interference' (also known as jaywalking), even though no interference occurred during most of these stops. My most recent arrest for jaywalking was, in my opinion, an attempt to send a message to me as a vocal Black police accountability activist.