Crime
Jaywalking now legal in New York
According to the Associated Press, jaywalking has been legal in New York City since October 26.
The New York City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has introduced a bill to amend the law that makes jaywalking a criminal offense.
Because Mayor Eric Adams didn’t approve or sign the bill, it took effect 30 days later, which is now New Yorkers can “legally cross the road at any place, including outside a marked or unmarked pedestrian crossing, and allow the crossing before the traffic lights.”
Mercedes Narcisse, New York City Councilwoman, trusts individuals who break the principles regarding crossing the road they do not deserve punishment. In a city of thousands and thousands of individuals, “people are just trying to get where they want to go.”
Narcisse also argues that jaywalking laws disproportionately impact communities of color. In 2023, she said, 90% of pedestrian crossings in New York City were Black and Latino.
The latest law will put the responsibility for safety on the shoulders of pedestrians because they are going to not have the proper of way. Road signs, pedestrian crossings and traffic lights will remain lively. Residents and visitors can now determine whether to implement safety measures.
“We continue to encourage pedestrians to use existing safety mechanisms – such as daylighting, pedestrian islands and first setbacks – when entering crosswalks using the pedestrian signal,” said Liz Garcia, a spokeswoman for Adams.
New York just isn’t the one American city that has to come back to terms with the results of criminalizing jaywalking.
A brand new report from the Transportation Choices Coalition shows just how marginalized communities are affected in Seattle, Washington: :
- Black pedestrians are stopped by police for jaywalking at 4.7 times the speed of their share of the population.
- Unhoused residents constitute at the least 41% of those affected by pedestrian stops.
- Mandatory inspections are carried out at 77% of pedestrian stops.
No definitive conclusions could be drawn from these numbers, but it surely appears that the consequences of jaywalking are just like New York’s abandoned “Stop and Frisk” policy.
Crime
New Jersey doctor sentenced for allegedly ‘hiring contract staff’
Harsha Sahni, a New Jersey doctor, will spend greater than two years in prison for harboring illegal immigrants and tax fraud. According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, Sahni was convicted of employing Indian nationals from 2013 to 2021 to work in her home without paying taxes on their wages.
In addition to his two-year prison sentence, Sahni can have to pay victims $642,212 in restitution and as much as $200,000 in medical bills.
Sahni is accused of paying victims lower than the minimum wage in favor of paying their families in India $600 or less for their services. The victims allegedly worked 15 hours a day caring for Sahni’s home. One of the victims suffered from a brain aneurysm he refused full treatment by Sahni.
The 68-year-old doctor became involved in a conspiracy to make sure that victims didn’t report working conditions that resembled slavery.
The victims were victims of unethical treatment and labor exploitation.
According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, Sahni threatened employees with arrest and deportation in the event that they mentioned the employment contract. Both employees were instructed to state that they were members of the family of the doctor if questioned.
“Sahni led the victims to believe that they would be arrested and deported if they contacted law enforcement. Sahni instructed the victims to tell others that they were related to Sahni, and Sahni used false names and addresses to further the conspiracy. Between 2013 and 2019, Sahni also failed to pay some taxes, even though the victims were Sahni’s household workers.”
Sahni was arrested in February 2023 following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s Newark Field Office.
Due to the allegations, as of August 31, 2023, the doctor’s medical license was suspended.
According to NBC, “last Wednesday she agreed to have her license temporarily suspended pending the outcome of an administrative proceeding seeking to permanently revoke her license because of her convictions.”
Crime
A$AP Rocky will go on trial next year on charges he shot a former friend with a gun
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A$AP Rocky is scheduled to go on trial in Los Angeles early next year on charges that in 2021 he fired a gun at a former friend and co-worker on the streets near a Hollywood hotel.
The trial of the 36-year-old rapper, fashion mogul, Grammy nominee and co-chairman of one other celebrity I met Gala is scheduled to start with jury selection on Jan. 21. He pleaded not guilty two counts of assault with a semi-automatic weapon. The trial was scheduled to begin on November 12, but his team asked during Tuesday’s hearing to postpone it because he will be headlining the Rolling Loud music festival in Thailand next month.
Superior Court Judge Mark S. Arnold said he would allow video cameras to broadcast the trial, which is predicted to last about two weeks.
“I believe that society deserves to see what happens in the courtroom,” the judge said.
He asked defense attorney Joe Tacopina whether Rihanna, with whom Rocky is in a relationship and has two children, plans to attend the trial in order that he can ensure proper safety for him.
Tacopina replied that he didn’t know, but “I almost guarantee it’s not every day.”
Another judge ruled as much after a preliminary hearing almost a year ago Rocky ought to be dropped at justice for allegedly firing a gun at Terell Ephron, a childhood friend, who testified that their relationship had soured and the dispute got here to a head on the night of November 6, 2021. Ephron testified that the bullets grazed his ankles.
If convicted on all charges, Rocky could resist 24 years in prison.
Tacopina said outside the courtroom Tuesday that he was confident Rocky would clear his name and that despite the delay: “He is looking forward to the trial. He doesn’t want this hanging over his head.
Rocky was recently elected because the celebrity chairman of… Met Gala in May with Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo AND LeBron Jamesalthough the final result of the hearing may make it tougher for him to look on the hearing.
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Crime
Jury selection begins in the trial of a man accused of death by suffocation on a New York subway
NEW YORK (AP) – Jury selection began Monday in the criminal trial of a U.S. Marine veteran charged with involuntary manslaughter for putting the man in killer hug last yr on the New York subway.
Daniel PennyThe 25-year-old is accused of “recklessly causing the death” of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old former street artist. Witnesses say that on May 1, 2023, Neely was acting erratically on the train when Penny approached to stop him.
Neither Penny nor his lawyers commented on the case once they arrived in court on Monday. He has he pleaded not guilty on the issue, which has sparked debate and division at local and national levels.
After Neely’s death, protesters took to the streets to demand that authorities arrest Penny – who’s white; Neely was black while others gathered outside the courthouse when he heard the charges. The case too became a cause celebre amongst Republican presidential candidates.
Penny who he served 4 years in the Marine Corps before his discharge in 2021, was free on $100,000 bail. He faces as much as 15 years in prison if convicted of second-degree manslaughter and as much as 4 years if convicted of criminally negligent homicide.
On Monday morning, greater than 80 potential jurors arrived in court for the first round of questioning. The focus is on whether or not they have work or family responsibilities that might prevent them from going through the trial, which is anticipated to last until December.
It will likely take several days before potential jurors are questioned about any beliefs, personal connections or life experiences which may affect their ability to serve truthfully and impartially.
The selection process and potential two-week timeframe aren’t unusual in long-term trials in Manhattan.
Witnesses say Neely, who has struggled with drug addiction, mental illness and homelessness, screamed and demanded money when Penny approached him.
Penny he pinned Neely to the ground with the help of two other passengers and placed him in pressure for greater than three minutes until Neely’s body went limp. The health worker ruled the death a homicide caused by neck compression.
Penny’s lawyers argue that the Long Island resident had no intention of killing Neely, but merely of holding him down long enough for police to reach. Penny claims Neely screamed, “I’m going to kill you,” and that he was “ready to die” or be imprisoned for all times.
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Penny’s attorney, Steven Raiser, said the defense plans to cite other potential causes of Neely’s death, including high levels of a synthetic cannabinoid often known as K2 found in his system.
They may also argue that the video shared widely on social media proves that Penny didn’t apply pressure consistently enough to render Neely unconscious, much less kill him.
Prosecutors argued in their court filings that Penny’s actions were reckless and negligent, even when he didn’t intend to kill Neely. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office declined to comment before the hearing.
Neely’s uncle, Christopher Neely, said he and other relations had been anxiously awaiting this moment.
“We only think about justice for Jordan,” he told The Associated Press last week.
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