The Fining of Black America

[n2doc]

By Dan Kopf ·

In March 2010, years before Ferguson, Missouri, became known for sparking the Black Lives Matter movement, the city’s Finance Director contacted the Chief of Police with a solution to the city’s budget problems.

The Finance Director wanted the police to generate more revenues from fines — money paid for infractions like traffic violations and missing court appointments. He warned that the city would be in financial trouble “unless ticket writing ramps up significantly before the end of the year.” “Given that we are looking at a substantial sales tax shortfall,” he wrote, “it’s not an insignificant issue.”

The Finance Director’s request surfaced as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation of the Ferguson Police Department. The investigation was instigated by the civil unrest that followed the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old African American man named Michael Brown in August 2014. Its goal was to better understand why the citizens of Ferguson felt so at odds with the police department chartered to protect them.

The Justice Department concluded that the mistrust between the police and the community primarily resulted from excessive fining. “Ferguson’s law enforcement practices are shaped by the City’s focus on revenue rather than by public safety needs,” the report read. The use of fines to fund the government undermined “law enforcement legitimacy among African Americans in particular.”

much more
http://priceonomics.com/the-fining-of-black-america/

[tblue37]

1. Those who vote think they save money by electing people who won't use taxes to fund

government functions and services, but fees get tacked on to what used to be supplied from general funds, or services get privatized and costs go up, or LEO and other compliance agerncies find ways to levy innumerable fines and then pile on more and more court and procedural fees.

Even worse, those who are poor or otherwise marginalized are the ones who are most intensively targeted for extortion through fines, and all too often barriers have been established to make it difficult or impossible for them to participate in elections or otherwise engage in civil/political process, so they are the ones weith the least influence on the politicians who create such compliance regimes and attach ever growing fines and fees to the most minor and harmless violations of endless obscure and usually absurd laws and regulations.

Needless to say, POC are particularly targeted by these extortion schemes. Ferguson, Missouri, is a perfect example, but many communities with similar demographics are similarly exploited all over the country.

[DirkGently]

2. Remember the lawsuit about fines for "missing curtains?"

Ms. Bryant said she found several of the violations baffling, not to mention beyond her limited retirement income. “All windows need screens and window treatment such as blinds and or matching curtains, slats, etc.,” the letter said. She also was ordered to repaint her porch and building foundation, “touch up paint or repaint entire house,” cut back weeds and “treat fence line with brush killer.”

In the months since, Ms. Bryant said, her sons have helped her try to meet the requirements.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/us/lawsuit-accuses-missouri-city-of-fining-homeowners-to-raise-revenue.html?_r=0



And there's this.

Officers competed "to see who could issue the largest number of citations during a single stop," the Justice Department said.
One apparent winner was an officer who issued 14 tickets at a single encounter, according to the federal investigation report.
Many police stops of civilians "have little relation to public safety and a questionable basis in law," the report said.
Ferguson police chief mum on federal report
Indeed, Ferguson enjoyed so much success in issuing tickets and fines that Ferguson, population 21,000, was ranked in the top eight of the 80 municipal courts in St. Louis County by having more than $1 million in revenue in 2010, the report said.
When Ferguson court revenues exceeded $2 million in 2012, the city manager responded to the police chief in an internal email: "Awesome! Thanks!" according to the federal report.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/us/ferguson-missouri-racism-tickets-fines/