Jaywalking While Black: A Quantitative Analysis of Jaywalking Tickets in New York City

RIGS Roundtable Research Presentation Series
Jaywalking While Black: A Quantitative Analysis of Jaywalking Tickets in New York City
Friday, October 13, 4:15 -5:45 PM
Clocktower Lounge, Gallagher Student Center (3rd Floor)
Presenters: Abigail Murray (Xavier University Graduate '23)
Bashir Tofangsazi (Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of RIGS)

JAYWALKING WHILE BLACK: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF JAYWALKING TICKETS IN NEW YORK CITY

Police departments have often been accused of issuing Jaywalking tickets disproportionally for people of color. A comprehensive quantitative analysis of this issue, however, has never been conducted. Using publicly available data from NYC police department spanning over more than two decades, this study analyzes whether race influences the number of Jaywalking tickets issued in different census tracts. Results confirm that disparities across racial lines exist. The full picture, however, is more complicated. Race, class, and interaction between racial groups are all associated with different numbers of tickets issued for Jaywalking.