A NEW STUDY DONE BY LAWYERS COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
IN THE BAY AREA LOOKS SPECIFICALLY AT TRANSIT
RELATED FINES AND HOW THEY ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY TARGETED
TOWARD THOSE IN THE LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS,
SPECIFICALLY MINORITIES.
WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE THINGS LIKE DEBTORS PRISON,
BUT IN SOME REGARD WE DO BECAUSE IF YOU OWE ANY MONEY TO THE
GOVERNMENT IN THE FORM OF A CITATION OR A TRAFFIC
VIOLATION, YOU HAVE TO PAY IT.
IF YOU DON'T, THEY WILL CONTINUE INCREASING THE PENALTIES
AND EVENTUALLY THEY WILL THROW YOU IN JAIL IF YOU ARE
UNABLE TO PAY.
IF YOU ARE POOR AND CANNOT PAY, IT PUTS YOU AT A HUGE
DISADVANTAGE.
>>THAT IS
SUCH AN IMPORTANT NUMBER.
SOME FOLKS WHO ARE EITHER RACIST OR IGNORANT, I KNOW
IGNORANT SOUNDS BAD, BUT HEAR ME OUT.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW ALL THE FACTS ABOUT HOW THESE THINGS GO
DOWN, YOU MIGHT THINK THAT BLACK PEOPLE DON'T SHOW UP AS
MUCH AS WHITE PEOPLE.
NO, THEY GET ARRESTED MORE.
THAT IS POINT NUMBER 1.
NUMBER TWO, WHITES AND BLACKS SMOKE MARIJUANA AT THE SAME
RATES, BUT BLACKS GET ARRESTED FOUR TIMES AS MUCH AS WHITE
PEOPLE.
2ND OF ALL, BECAUSE OF THE SOCIOECONOMIC OF BLACKS IN
THIS COUNTRY MORE OF THEM HAPPEN TO HAVE LESS MONEY.
THAT IS JUST THE REALITY.
THEY ARE BORN WITH LESS WEALTH, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE 2008 CRASH.
THE AVERAGE BLACK PERSON IS BORN INTO A FAMILY WITH A LITTLE OVER
11,000 IN WEALTH.
IT WAS STUNNINGLY LOW.
THE AVERAGE WHITE PERSON WAS BORN TO A FAMILY WITH
$150,000 IN WEALTH.
THE DISPARITY IS GIGANTIC.
SO, BY THE END OF THE PROCESS, THE REASON YOU MIGHT NOT
SHOW UP IS BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY.
>>YES, THAT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE REASONS BUT OFTENTIMES THEY
DO SHOW UP AND THEY TRY TO EXPLAIN TO THE JUDGE THAT
THEY ARE WILLING TO DO COMMUNITY SERVICE WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE
AN OPTION TO PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PAY CITATIONS.
OFTENTIMES JUDGES DON'T ALLOW THEM TO DO THAT.
I WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
EARLY DAYS OF TYT I GOT A TICKET FOR SPEEDING.
I TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO THE JUDGE I AM WILLING TO DO
COMMUNITY SERVICE, HE SAID I DON'T CARE, YOU SHOULD NOT
HAVE GOTTEN THE TICKET.
I DEALT WITH THAT AS AN INNOCENT LOOKING WHITE PERSON
ACCORDING TO SOCIETIES STANDARDS.
IMAGINE IF YOU ARE LOOKED UPON AS ANY TYPE OF THREAT.
OR IF YOU ARE LOOKED ON AS A THROWAWAY IN SOCIETY.
A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS.
IF THEY ARE HOMELESS, WHY ARE YOU GIVING THEM TICKETS IF
YOU KNOW THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO PAY IT?
>>IT'S POINTLESS.
SO, ONCE YOU ARE IN THAT WHOLE IT IS SO HARD
TO GET OUT.
FOR EXAMPLE YOU GET A $220 TICKET ñ
>>WHO WAS HOMELESS BY THE WAY.
>> IF YOU GO TO CONTEST IT, HE LOSES AND THEY SAY NO GIVE
ME THE $220.
THEY SAID SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT NOW IT IS ANOTHER
$300 FINE.
SO NOW YOU OWE $520.
THE ONLY MONEY HE GETS IS AN $800 CHECK FOR DISABILITY.
THAT WOULD TAKE AWAY ñ
>>IF YOU ARE POOR AND YOU GET A TICKET AND ARE UNABLE TO
PAY IT, OFTENTIMES WHATEVER MUNICIPALITY YOU ARE FROM
WILL TAKE YOUR DRIVERS LICENSE AWAY.
ONCE THEY DO THAT, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU ARE AT A GREATER
DISADVANTAGE WHEN IT COMES TO APPLYING FOR JOBS AND
FINDING WORK.
[VIDEO BUFFERING] IF YOU ARE LIVING IN LA AND YOU ARE
POOR AND GOT ONE OF THESE CITATIONS AND THEY TAKE YOUR
DRIVERS LICENSE, YOU ARE DONE.
IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO FIND WORK.
>> NOW YOU CAN'T FIND WORK WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN'T PAY
THE BILLS, AND THE BILLS CONTINUE TO MOUNT UP.
BY THE WAY, IF YOU OWE THE GOVERNMENT AT SOME POINT
THEY CAN ARREST YOU AND PUT YOU IN JAIL
AND WE ARE BACK IN DEBTORS PRISON.
THIS IS THE WHOLE THEY PUT EVERYBODY IN.
CALIFORNIA IS NOT ALONE.
RIGHT NOW, JERRY BROWN IS TRYING TO FIX IT A LITTLE BIT.
>>LET ME GIVE YOU HIS QUOTE.
HE CAME UP WITH WHAT HE CONSIDERED A SOLUTION,
ALLOWING PEOPLE THAT ARE FROM A LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS TO PAY
50 TO 80% OF THE CITATION.
BY THE WAY, I GUESS THAT IS A COMPROMISE, BUT NOT REALLY.
IF YOU ARE HOMELESS AND CAN'T PAY, THERE NEEDS TO BE OTHER OPTIONS.
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
LET'S FIND A REASONABLE WAY THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE ON THIS.
REAL COMMUNITY SERVICE.
WHATEVER YOU THINK THAT IS, THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER OPTION.
THIS IS NOT HELPING ANY OF US TO THROW THESE PEOPLE IN JAIL.
TRYING TO GET THEM TO PAY IS GOING TO COST MORE THAN $800.
IT IS SO INEFFICIENT, IT IS SO WASTEFUL.
AND FINALLY, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT WHEN THEY LOOK INTO FERGUSON THEY FOUND OUT
THAT THIS IS A WAY OF REDISTRIBUTING TAXES.
IT IS SO THAT THEY CUT TAXES ON THE RICH, SO THEY DON'T
HAVE ENOUGH REVENUE TO RUN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
SO WHAT WILL THEY DO?
LET'S PICK ON THE MOST POWERLESS PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY WON'T BE
ABLE TO COMPLAIN AND THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO BUY OFF POLITICIANS.
WE WILL JUST FINE THEM MORE.
IN ST.
LOUIS AND MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THEY STARTED
INCREASING THE FINES, KNICKKNACK FINES, THAT IN THE PAST
THEY DIDN'T ENFORCE.
THEY ENFORCED IT FOR THE PURPOSE OF RAISING MORE REVENUE.
BUT THEY TOOK IT FROM THE POOREST PEOPLE THERE IS.
SOME OF THEM CAN PAY, BUT IT KILLED THEM TO PAY THAT AMOUNT.
BY THE WAY, THAT IS TAKING MONEY OUT OF THE ECONOMY THAT
THEY WOULD'VE SPENT ON FOOD OR OTHER NECESSITIES.
WHEREAS IF YOU TAX THE RICH, THAT IS MONEY THAT THEY
NORMALLY WOULD HAVE SAVED AND NOT PUT BACK INTO THE ECONOMY.
IT IS PERVERSE ON EVERY LEVEL LET ALONE THE RACISM AND
THE SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE POOR AND THE
MIDDLE CLASS IN THIS COUNTRY.
>>BY THE WAY, THAT KIND OF ATTACK IS REFERRED TO AS A
REGRESSIVE TAX.
IT IS WHEN YOU ARE ATTACKING OR TARGETING THE
POOR TO MAKE UP FOR THE LOST REVENUE BECAUSE YOU HAVE GIVEN
THE WEALTHY SUCH HUGE TAX BREAKS.