New York's been following what's called a "broken window" policing strategy. The premise is that you go into areas that have high rates of (serious) crime, and do zealous enforcement of even minor crimes (graffiti, jaywalking), and that this sort of enforcement contributes towards the reduction of the crime that matters. It's named for the premise that ostentatious signs of lawlessness and urban decay (like broken windows) invite further, more dangerous, disorder, like gangs staking out turf and assaulting/robbing people passing by.
This sort of policing policy is controversial in New York and is relatively uncommon in the rest of the nation.
For what it's worth, violent crime and murders in most of these predominantly-minority communities has been reduced substantially in the past several years. However, it seems to result in at least some members of the community feeling substantially more oppressed, and it does result in inequal treatment of minorities by police if for no other reason than geographic correlation.
(Disclaimer. The general desirability of this approach is neither endorsed nor condemned herein.)
>For whatever reason, however,riding your bike on the sidewalk is rigidly enforced against.
and it is very good reason. A bike on the move at say double pedestrian speed has like 30ft ahead by 6ft width virtual zone which is dangerous for anybody else and thus has to be empty. It just doesn't fit into typical sidewalk space which would typically be like those 6ft wide and bike rider routinely lets people get into the 30ft ahead zone thus constantly placing them in danger.
This sort of policing policy is controversial in New York and is relatively uncommon in the rest of the nation.
For what it's worth, violent crime and murders in most of these predominantly-minority communities has been reduced substantially in the past several years. However, it seems to result in at least some members of the community feeling substantially more oppressed, and it does result in inequal treatment of minorities by police if for no other reason than geographic correlation.
(Disclaimer. The general desirability of this approach is neither endorsed nor condemned herein.)