Why blacks can't breathe

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by sheltiedave

We have some automated cameras, but reaction has been mixed. The smaller municipalities don't like them, because they only get a portion of the fees, rather than 100%. And when you have to pay $250 for the bench warrant, $50 for the no show, and $150 for the ticket, it becomes unaffordable.

And the cops sit on the roads and just camp on the people who have tickets. When I mentioned that people had a hard time holding jobs because the cops liked to fuck with them, it is the truth. If you do the math, when you get lucky in Ferguson and find a full time, $8/hr job, you first have to pay the now $450 ticket fine before you can use the @$%$@ car. I walked with a friend who happens to be a cop, and the first 51 cars we ran in the Canfield complex had outstanding tickets from throughout St. Louis.

Being poor, being in certain municipalities, and having a target on your back is not a walk in the park, and knowing you will get pulled over every week you drive your car makes for a good deal of stress and belligerence. For many of them, if you can't find a job you can walk to, or on a bus route, forget about it.

Originally Posted by finnbow

Traffic cameras are all over the place around here too. But it ain't the cops who make these fucked up laws. Politicians will do all sorts of crazy shit to avoid raising taxes. Instead they come down on traffic offenders, impose hospitality taxes on hotel and rental car custom.ers, and establish user fees for things that were once free.

I was responding to all of shelties post, not about the cameras. Cameras don't profile people. They'll catch the Mayor in his Cadillac just as fast as they'll catch some poor schmuck in his $600 craigslist beater.

It's the Cops that deliberately profile and harass poor people that are the problem.

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by sheltiedave

The Ferguson PD acts like a leech on the poorest people in Ferguson, and then is a no show when it comes to protecting the people and businesses they make a living not serving.

When the Cops act like this it's no small wonder that some poor people get so fed up with it that they act out. And then the Cops use that as an excuse to drop the hammer on them harder. It's baiting is what it is.

[icenine]

Originally Posted by Tom Joad

I was responding to all of shelties post, not about the cameras. Cameras don't profile people. They'll catch the Mayor in his Cadillac just as fast as they'll catch some poor schmuck in his $600 craigslist beater.

It's the Cops that deliberately profile and harass poor people that are the problem.

Actually the mayors decide whether to have the cameras or not, along with council members and/or city managers. In other words local municipalities.
You have to remember that a city or county rewards a contract to the camera companies, and I would be surprised if they themselves do not somehow get out of these tickets should they get caught on video in their own system.

I think it would be interesting to study traffic cams and the demographic populations of the communities that have them and to see if any bias is going on. From what I read, the amount of fines received by the Ferguson city from traffic violations went up 60 percent in the last 5 years. Do not know if cams had an impact there.

Finnbow is right. Voters can ditch the cams if they lean on the local governments hard enough. We did it in Murrieta.

[hillbilly]

Originally Posted by Tom Joad

Cameras don't profile people. They'll catch the Mayor in his Cadillac just as fast as they'll catch some poor schmuck in his $600 craigslist beater.

It's the Cops that deliberately profile and harass poor people that are the problem.

I have to agree with this to a point. We have three nice vehicles and one rag. The rag is a 94 S10 that my wife hit a deer in at 80mph back in 2000. Smashed the front all to hell. But I only repaired it just enough so it could still be driveable ( had her hold the brakes while I hooked a chain around the radiator support and yanked it hard enough with the tractor to pull the right front corner of the fender off the tire, then replaced the smashed battery, broken thermostat housing, broken temp sending unit,HVAC cover, etc ). But the radiator I did not replace as it didn't leak when I pulled it from being wraped around the fan. I placed it on the ground and stomped it out straight as I could and put it back in. No leaks to this day, and it's my daily driver ever since she replaced it with a new one after the crash. We never get pulled over here where we live but hell everyone knows us, and my truck. But sometimes on road trips I'll get stopped and asked for the vehicle paperwork ( tags & insurance ) and my DL's. After all checks out well it's have a nice day.

The way I understand it is they find alot of people driving with warrants out on them, wrong tags, no insurance, revoked DL's, drugs on them or in the vehicle, drinking, etc, more-so in older vehicles than more costly ones. I can pick three nice vehicles to hop in and go, but I like my old truck and drive it. I've driven it to many states the way it is for the last 14 years.. including the AK Fest way up in MI. Ugly, but very trusty. And most important, the seat fits my ass well. I hate how our newer truck drives, even though it is mint.

[icenine]

Originally Posted by hillbilly

I have to agree with this to a point. We have three nice vehicles and one rag. The rag is a 94 S10 that my wife hit a deer in at 80mph back in 2000. Smashed the front all to hell. But I only repaired it just enough so it could still be driveable ( had her hold the brakes while I hooked a chain around the radiator support and yanked it hard enough with the tractor to pull the right front corner of the fender off the tire, then replaced the smashed battery, broken thermostat housing, broken temp sending unit,HVAC cover, etc ). But the radiator I did not replace as it didn't leak when I pulled it from being wraped around the fan. I placed it on the ground and stomped it out straight as I could and put it back in. No leaks to this day, and it's my daily driver ever since she replaced it with a new one after the crash. We never get pulled over here where we live but hell everyone knows us, and my truck. But sometimes on road trips I'll get stopped and asked for the vehicle paperwork ( tags & insurance ) and my DL's. After all checks out well it's have a nice day.

The way I understand it is they find alot of people driving with warrants out on them, wrong tags, no insurance, revoked DL's, drugs on them or in the vehicle, drinking, etc, more-so in older vehicles than more costly ones. I can pick three nice vehicles to hop in and go, but I like my old truck and drive it. I've driven it to many states the way it is for the last 14 years.. including the AK Fest way up in MI. Ugly, but very trusty. And most important, the seat fits my ass well. I hate how our newer truck drives, even though it is mint.

The cops are often instructed to target old vehicles because the opportunities for revenue increase with pulling them over for so called fix-it tickets. In California this impacts more on those who cannot afford nice vehicles, and on minority communities. It leads to a perception of profiling. One of my Filipino friends was constantly getting pulled over because he drove a beat-up 1991 Honda Civic that eventually hit 300,000 miles.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by icenine

The cops are often instructed to target old vehicles because the opportunities for revenue increase with pulling them over for so called fix-it tickets. In California this impacts more on those who cannot afford nice vehicles, and on minority communities. It leads to a perception of profiling. One of my Filipino friends was constantly getting pulled over because he drove a beat-up 1991 Honda Civic that eventually hit 300,000 miles.

While it may directly impact drivers of such jalopies, having such jalopies on the road with lousy brakes, tires, etc. is dangerous to everyone on the road. If you think such requirements are strict here, move to Germany and have your car inspected by TÜV.

[merrylander]

Just don't ever withdraw a lot of money from the bank and then drive home because if the stop you there goes the money.

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by merrylander

Just don't ever withdraw a lot of money from the bank and then drive home because if the stop you there goes the money.

If they are suspicious enough to search for it. Of course a paranoid person might wonder if the teller or someone would tip them off....

Perhaps a taxi would be a good idea.


One just slides into the police state frame of mind....

[piece-itpete]

It's the 'justice' system racket, screwing people for money. SOMEONE has to pay for early retirement/double dipping, and 'if you're in court you are guilty, so pay those fees boy'.

Here in Ohio there is no car inspection except for emissions. There are some pretty rough cars on the road

Pete

[icenine]

Originally Posted by finnbow

While it may directly impact drivers of such jalopies, having such jalopies on the road with lousy brakes, tires, etc. is dangerous to everyone on the road. If you think such requirements are strict here, move to Germany and have your car inspected by TÜV.

What about the people who cannot aford nicer cars? Think about that.
They are not driving jalopies because of choice. People get pulled over here for stuff like having one burnt out license plate lamp.


And public transportation in Europe is light years beyond us here in the States. I made many 100 mile round trips in that Honda car pooling to work everyday it was a safe vehicle and was driven to the junk yard when my friend got rid of it.