An Illinois state lawmaker is demanding answers about what he suggests is racial profiling by the city of Chicago’s traffic cameras which he claims are biased against black drivers.
Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Democrat representing the Eighth District, cited data showing that the cameras resulted in over 2.5 times more tickets being issued to motorists caught by cameras at intersections on the Windy City’s heavily black South Side than the ones on the North Side.
According to the Illinois Policy Institute, the red-light cameras on the South Side were responsible for an average of 9,132 tickets, 5,521 more than those on the North Side for fines of $61.4 million, numbers that Ford says resulted in disproportionately more tickets being issued to blacks.
BREAKING: Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D) is calling for an investigation into Chicago traffic light cameras because they are apparently racist. pic.twitter.com/vUW7jh3x4w
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 21, 2024
“It’s clearly a money grab and it’s not fair,” he told The Center Square. “The question is are the people on the South Side of Chicago driving to that degree that they deserve to be disproportionately impacted by a system, or is the system flawed? I would urge the city to do some type of investigation.”
“The tickets are one problem, but the impact that these tickets have on families is devastating,” Ford said. “If I get multiple tickets and I’m placed on a boot list, then my car gets towed and I lose my car. Then I have these tickets and I have to file bankruptcy to eliminate the debt. Government should not be in the business of driving people into poverty. We know that this regressive tax hits people in poverty more and drives people deeper into poverty.”
“There should be a deep dive investigation to explain because we know that when you compare the traffic stops by human beings, we learned that there was a reason behind it,” added Ford, who has previously called for a moratorium on the traffic cameras.
“People were racially profiled. We have to ask ourselves how are the residents in the South Side of Chicago receiving three times the number of tickets. I think the public deserves transparency and explanation as to whether there are more chances for this population to be ticketed,” he said, another example of how EVERYTHING must be racist now in the minds of some people.
X users had some thoughts.
Traffic light cameras have to abide to diversity, inclusion, and equity. If more black drivers are shown to be speeding than whites, it is important to give more speeding tickets to whites because slavery. https://t.co/fIBKoGQfBA
— Gad Saad (@GadSaad) November 21, 2024
How can a camera be racist
— Washingtons ghost (@hartgoat) November 21, 2024
I’ve concluded my investigation: blacks are 2.5 times more likely to run red lights in Chicago.
— David Santa Carla (@TheOnlyDSC) November 21, 2024
“but why are South Side red light cameras issuing 2.5x more tickets than North Side cameras?”
Because the Chinese chips inside the cameras are racist?
Gosh..what else could it be??
— Douglas Ritz (@douglasritz) November 20, 2024
Has anyone considered that Chicago Southside drivers run more red lights because sitting at a red light in south Chicago exposes you to more random gunfire? Seriously. North Chicago has far less shootings. It’s not racist cameras, it’s self preservation.
— griffitovic (@griffitovic) November 22, 2024
I’m going to go out on a limb here – follow me. Maybe it’s because 2.5 as many drivers on the South Side pay no fucking attention to stop signs, stop lights, speed limits or flashing blue lights? Do I win anything for my correct answer?
— Bruno (talk about me) McGillicuddy (@psennett) November 20, 2024
Just so I’m up to date on my 2024 racism….
Math is racist
Roads are racist
Lights are racist
People who are not black are inherently racist
People who DONT segregate are racistAm I doing this right?!
— Hayley Smith (@Mrs_Gavin_Smith) November 21, 2024
“Chicago is home to more red-light cameras than any other large city in the nation. In total, these cameras generated $915 million in revenue from issuing red-light tickets from January 2008 through September 2023,” according to the Illinois Policy Institute.
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