Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
City Ticketing Another Economic Injustice
RECEIVED Sat., June 13, 2009
Dear Louis,
I feel that the fines for tickets being levied against our citizenry have become unjust. Fines account for too much of the city's income. For example, my acupuncturist was ticketed $500 at First Thursday for handing out leaflets from a table in front of his SoCo clinic. This ticket was issued under a new ordinance, and while the ticket was too high in any event, a warning seems more just for a first offense. A lot of people are going to jail because they can't pay fines, which I find cruel, unconscionable, and expensive for the city. I think the fines should be more reasonable, and certainly they should be issued on a sliding-scale basis according to income. Fines for tickets have become another way to harass the poor, especially the homeless. I call upon our City Council to right this wrong.
I feel that the fines for tickets being levied against our citizenry have become unjust. Fines account for too much of the city's income. For example, my acupuncturist was ticketed $500 at First Thursday for handing out leaflets from a table in front of his SoCo clinic. This ticket was issued under a new ordinance, and while the ticket was too high in any event, a warning seems more just for a first offense. A lot of people are going to jail because they can't pay fines, which I find cruel, unconscionable, and expensive for the city. I think the fines should be more reasonable, and certainly they should be issued on a sliding-scale basis according to income. Fines for tickets have become another way to harass the poor, especially the homeless. I call upon our City Council to right this wrong.
Sincerely,
Lili Li
Lili Li
