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Jaywalking


Hoppum

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In the UK no one would bat an eyelid. In Atlanta, you could be wrestled to the ground.

 

It is a cautionary tale for any traveller - distinguished historian Felipe Fernandez-Armesto tried to cross the road while in Atlanta for the conference of the American Historical Association, only to find himself in handcuffs and surrounded by armed police.

 

"I come from a country where you can cross the road where you like," said the visiting professor of global environmental history at Queen Mary College, University of London. "It hadn't occurred to me that I wasn't allowed to cross the road between the two main conference venues."

 

The bespectacled professor says he didn't realise the "rather intrusive young man" shouting that he shouldn't cross there was a policeman. "I thanked him for his advice and went on."

 

The officer asked for identification. The professor asked for his, after which Officer Leonpacher told him he was under arrest and, the professor claims, kicked his legs from under him, pinned him to the ground and confiscated his box of peppermints.

 

Professor Fernandez-Armesto then spent eight hours in the cells before the charges were dropped. He told the Times that his colleagues now regard him as "as a combination of Rambo, because it took five cops to pin me to the ground, and Perry Mason, because my eloquence before a judge obtained my immediate release".

 

Not every jaywalking Brit abroad will be similarly blessed, nor enjoy the intervention of the city mayor.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6251431.stm

 

Having been carted off in a "filthy, foetid paddy wagon" as the professor described it...
:D
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For those calling BS...we are talking about what I presume is a person of Latino appearance (guessing by the name) VS the most racist police force in the US.

 

Remember, this is the state that, in 2000, rigged the elections so that thousands of 'convicted criminals' were wiped off the electoral roles for crimes they didnt commit. In some cases, the crimes they were supposed to have committed were dated 2004, or 2006.

 

And a college in a largely black neighbourhood who's student hall was supposed to be where they went to vote...well, they arrived there on election day and it was locked up and nothing was posted to tell them where to go to vote.

 

Yes, I can believe that this man faced and received unjust treatment because of his race.

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In the UK no one would bat an eyelid

 

Fair enough, but I think some overseas visitors are slightly more lenient than even our good selves. Cambridge is a good example of this. Stop look and listen? Never heard of it. Bicycle stopping at red lights? What on Earth for?! Get to a junction, and haphazardly wander across, without bothering to check if a vehicle is turning in? Why of course! Gah!

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I think pedestrians and cyclists should be banned or licenced

bad walking shoud be as harshly punished as bad driving.

 

all that government bull about driving quickly causing accidents when a third are because people are drunk, a third because people who are drunk pile out of a pub into the front of your car and a third are just people being terrible drivers.

 

Speed cameras don't catch drink drivers, scrap them and spend the money on more cops, and give people tickets for walking or cycling stupidly.

 

Sorry, the mention of pet peevs got me going.

 

Stunt

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Yeah, especially people that walk really slowly or just randomly stop abruptly in the middle of a busy pavement. That really annoys me. Although walking silly is fine. I think the Ministry of Silly Walks should get more funding.

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Government ATM's opps i mean speed cameras will never be scrapped, the generate too much income, especially with the newer Wi-Fi ones where you get your fine the same day. Soon they will automatically take the money from your account and send you a receipt. Bastards!

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