The Shanghai government’s campaign to stop jaywalking has given the bureaucrats a very creative idea. After putting a young woman in jail for 10 days because of jaywalking (she first got a fine, and got a bit violent after that, so ended up in the slammer), undercover police have now started to take pictures of jaywalkers.
The creative part is that these pictures are not used as evidence to fine these people, but that they are put up in the office buildings where these people work. And, as the Shanghai Daily explains, also foreigners are at risk to be publicly exposed as lawbreakers. The first picture of ‘two foreigners wearing a blue and a red t-shirt’ is already on display in their office, to ‘enhance education’. I suspect that some of the expat foreigners that I know will set up a competition soon on who will be the first person to have its picture on the office wall!
I hope the undercovers have enough film or digital storage available on their cameras. Sometimes it seems there are more jaywalkers than people who wait for a red light, so they can keep on taking pictures!
Hmm I see some courtcases coming up for people defending their portrait rights….
And putting up at your office.. that sounds interesting. So they shoot a pic, then follow you to your office where they hang up a picture. Sounds a bit timeconsuming to me. And how about invasion of privacy..
Hmm maybe those things are not important …
jaywalking might be less when cars obey the “the white stripes on the street” (crossovers?) and stop as they should do. As far as i can recollect from my memory those stripes in Beijing where just for decoration even when the pedestrian lights were green.
Hiiii Marc!!! reading your articles always give me lots of fun! especially this one!!! 😛
Hope everything is going on well on your side!
hugs– Kehong 🙂