I spent the last few weeks gearing up to wage a one-man war against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) crackdown on jay walking in Skid Row, part of the agency's Safer Cities Initiative, which has brought 50 additional officers to the hardscrabble neighborhood.
It took awhile to get that worked up — going back to when I received several jay walking tickets in 2007. The tickets were petty — the police were harassing me. Didn't they have anything better to do than write tickets to me? I wasn't hurting anyone. I wasn't buying or selling drugs.
I failed to appear in court, and the tickets went to collection, with the fines increased. A deputy city attorney said he was going to take care of the tickets through a program his agency operates as a way to give folks a chance to take care of the tickets without facing the fines. He didn't — and that was his fault, not mine.
Still no worries, though — I didn't have any warrants. I could procrastinate for another couple of years.
Then I received a ticket for driving without my seatbelt fastened. One ticket was not enough. It took a couple more citations — and the sight of a few horrible accident scenes — before I realized that I needed to fasten my seatbelt.
I was beginning to get it; I decided to promptly pay off the traffic citations.
I kept procrastinating on the jaywalking tickets, but somewhere along the way I stopped jaywalking and ceased griping about the officers who had given me the tickets.
Then came the recent notice from the collection agency about the fines related to the jaywalking tickets. I ranted and raved about the collection agency. I could no longer wait a couple of years before dealing with this matter. I could either take care of this mess or ignore the notice and wake up one morning to discover the collection agency had obtained a levy from the court and taken the fines from my bank account. Hell no!!! Been there, done that.
I decided that to go through the process with an eye toward exposing the thievery and unethical conduct of the LAPD to the public.
Kicking and screaming, I went to a legal clinic in Skid Row to get help with the tickets. I was told to go to court, get printouts of my tickets, and return the following week. What grief! I dreaded the time I would waste finding a parking space and waiting in line. I was really going to make LAPD pay for all of this.
I went to the court. It did not take all morning to find a parking spot. I waited less than five minutes in line to see a clerk. In addition to providing me with the printouts, she also scheduled a court appearance for one ticket. That act alone would reduce my fines by $300 or so.
Walking to my car, I felt a sense of satisfaction that I was making progress.
But the LAPD still had to pay.
That's when I told my editor that I wanted to write about LAPD's aggressive campaign against jaywalking in Skid Row. Here was my chance for vengeance. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that Deon Joseph is one of the most respected officers in Skid Row and he does not write tickets. I had even written a story lauding Joseph and his efforts to work with the Skid Row community.
"I believe Joseph does write tickets," my editor said, showing me a recent letter that the cop had written to members of the community about jaywalking tickets. Indeed, Joseph acknowledged writing jaywalking tickets and supporting the aggressive enforcement of that law on the streets of Skid Row as a matter of immediate public safety and future deterrent to dangerous habits.
I read the whole text of Joseph's letter, each sentence disarming me in the process.
I had to agree that Skid Row had run amok for 30 years. I had to concede that even most of the mentally ill know that jaywalking is unsafe and illegal. I had to acknowledge that I must dodge jaywalkers each night as I drive home from my job in Skid Row.
I exchanged a follow-up e-mail with Joseph, and he told me that he's actually writing fewer jaywalking tickets these days because folks in Skid Row are beginning to get it. He also mentioned that the program administered by the City Attorney's office offers some offenders the chance to attend drug programs in lieu of paying the fines.
"I will be damned," I muttered to myself.
Did I alter my dangerous behavior after getting sick and tired of getting tickets?
Yes.
Do I feel better that I am dealing with this problem now and getting it over with?
Yes.
Isn't it a lot easier doing things the right way?
Yes.
That's how Joseph ruined my chance for revenge.
He made me realize that the LAPD policy of enforcing the jaywalking had made Skid Row a safer place and me a more responsible citizen.
LAPD will have to pay for this!
Walter Melton is a writer for the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
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