Representatives from the state of Illinois cited a recent report claiming that traffic light cameras on the city's south side disproportionately target Black and Latino drivers, 2.5 times more likely than similar cameras on the north side. I'm looking for an answer.
Illinois State Representative La'Shawn Ford, a Democrat, is calling on the city to investigate the discrepancy. He suggests that cameras are responsible for racial profiling.
Ford previously announced that more than half of the intersections with cameras are designated as the safest intersections in Illinois by the Illinois Department of Transportation, after a Chicago Tribune report revealed that more than half of the intersections with cameras are designated as the safest intersections in Illinois by the Illinois Department of Transportation. They called for its abolition.
Chicago has more red-light cameras than any other large city in the United States, and “social justice” advocates wonder if inner-city neighborhoods are being unfairly targeted. I'm concerned. ProPublica's report details a number of problems with Chicago's traffic cameras that appear to target minority communities.
“Grab money'' with tickets
“It's clearly a money grab and it's unfair,” Ford said of the camera ticketing. “The question is: Do people who live on Chicago's South Side drive enough to deserve to be unfairly affected by the system, or is there a flaw in the system? We need the city to do some research. I would like you to do that.”
“There's the issue of tickets, but the impact they have on families is devastating,” he argues. “If I get multiple tickets and end up on the boot list, my car gets towed and I lose my car. Then since I have these tickets, I get rid of the debt. Governments should not be in the business of pushing people into poverty. I know.”
said Olatunji Oboi-Reed, a Chicago race advocate who received one of those tickets.
We felt like we were bearing the brunt (of tickets) in a way that white people were not. Fortunately, unlike many black and brown people in the city, I have always been able to survive financially. One ticket can throw all your money into a hurricane.
Racial profiling with humans and cameras
Believing that racial profiling may have been part of the situation, Ford called for an investigation into the use of the cameras.
Comparing human traffic stops, we found that there are reasons behind them that require thorough research to explain. People were racially profiled. You have to ask yourself how the residents of Chicago's South Side are receiving triple the number of tickets. I think the public needs transparency and explanation as to whether these people are even more likely to be ticketed.
Ironically, cameras were once considered a race-neutral means of traffic law enforcement. Race watchers have long complained that minorities are unfairly targeted by police. The program was first started in Chicago by Mayor Richard M. Daley about 20 years ago.
Extended under Lightfoot
The use of cameras expanded significantly during Lori Lightfoot's tenure as mayor. Many of the reasons behind their increased use were related to perceived road safety issues in cities.
“If someone is a reckless driver, that's a fundamental concern for the mayor,” said Dan Lurie, Lightfoot's policy director. He continued:
We believe that fines and fees will help change behavior. (But) those fines and fees should not put someone in a situation where they are unable to pay them or forced to choose between paying the fines and fees and putting food on the table. No.
So did Chicago's black female mayor enact an expansion of an inherently racist program?
A more reasonable explanation might be that residents of these areas may run red lights and break traffic laws for fear of carjacking and other crimes typical of such locations. I don't know. The root cause of Chicago's reckless driving lies not in traffic cameras, but in the dangerous city itself.
