In Town That is Sixteen Percent Black African Americans Account For Ninety One Percent of Jaywalking Arrests

Data on Champaign-Urbana, Illinois was found via FOIA request

I once heard it said that every successful Freedom of Information Act request is a failure of open government.

In other words, every time activists, journalists, or other citizens are able to get data or other records through a FOIA request, that information should have already been available, somehow, somewhere on the Internet, without the hassle of a request process.

Comments

[Randian]

Headline/Story mismatch.

[earthandweather]

I have to agree that the idea that an ethnic group making-up just 16% of the local population could really be commiting 91% of the jay walking is hard to believe but it is not impossible. In my neighborhood I've observed on many occasions the black kids in the neighborhood just walk right out in front of uncoming traffic. The white kids in my neighborhood almost invariably go to the nearby cross walk.
I was walking down the sidewalk the other day and two people were walking abreast toward me - a black woman in her early 30s and a 11 year old black boy. I stepped from the middle of the side walk to my right to let them pass and the boy stepped back and to his right. We smiled and shared solutations as we passed. Just after they passed she slapped him and said - "Never get out of the way for anybody". She turned away and they continued walking, he looked back at me with a look of apology and rolled his eyes. (I was glad to see he knew better.) However, this seems to be a common attitude among black people in my neighborhood.