The Piercing Truth

This is right from the dictionary and seems to describe Albuquerque, Berry and Schultz. Fascism (f ash ,izem) noun An authoritarian right wing system of government and/or social organization. (in general use) extreme right wing, authoritarian, chauvinistic and/or intolerant views or practices. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one group over another, national, ethnic, especially social strata or monetarily; a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach. Compliments of one of our Eyes

Jan 17, 2007

Red Light Cameras: Economic Profiling?

Are the red light/speed cameras used to profile the citizens of Albuquerque?

Illegal profiling is defined as:

  • A prohibited activity that consists of targeting individuals for enforcement action or other activity based solely upon; race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious affliction or ECONOMIC STATUS, age cultural group or any other identifiable group.

Mayor Chavez said the cameras are being placed at intersections with the high crash ratings, is this true? Below is a table showing the top 20 crash ratings at intersections in Albuquerque.

Rank - Intersection --------------------------- Number of Crashes

1.

I-40/Coors

144

2.

Coors/Paseo Del Norte

133

3.

Montgomery/San Mateo

114

4.

Montgomery/Wyoming

112

5.

Quail/Coors

108

6.

I-40 Westbound Wyoming

106

7.

Jefferson/Paseo Del Norte

99

8.

Coors/Central

96

9.

I-25/I-40

91

10.

Coors/Irving

88

11.

Coors/Montano

85

12.

Coors By Pass/Ellison

84

13.

I-25/Paseo Del Norte

76

14.

I-40 Westbound/San Mateo

76

15.

Coors/Ilif

74

16.

Wyoming/Paseo Del Norte

68

17.

San Mateo/Menaul

65

18.

Wyoming/Academy

63

19

San Mateo/Candelaria

60

20.

I-40/Louisiana

56

Now look at the table below showing where the cameras are being placed

Area --------------------- Camera Intersection --------- Ranking

Foothills

Juan Tabo/Lomas

Not on the top 20 list

Northeast

Montgomery/Carlisle

Not on the top 20 list

Northeast

Montgomery/San Mateo

#3 on the top 20 list

Northeast

Montgomery/Wyoming

#4 on the top 20 list

Northeast

Montgomery/Eubank

Not on the top 20 list

Northeast

Wyoming/Menaul

Not on the top 20 list

Northeast

San Mateo/Menaul

#17 on the top 20 list

Valley

Jefferson/Paseo Del Norte

#7 on the top 20 list

Westside

Coors/Paseo Del Norte

#2 on the top 20 list

Westside

Coors/Montano

#11 on the top 20 list

Westside

Coors/Quail

#5 on the top 20 list

Southeast

NO CAMERAS

NO CAMERAS

If you analyze the data you will find some curious items:

  • The Juan Tabo/Lomas intersection located in the Foothills is not on the top 20 list.
  • Out of 6 intersections in the Northeast, 3 are not on the top 20 list. The 3 that are, are rated 3, 4 and 17 out of 20.
  • The Jefferson /Paseo Del Norte intersection located in the Valley is rated 7 out of 20.
  • The 3 Westside locations are rated 2, 11 and 5 out of 20.

It seems pretty clear that the city is engaging in its own form of economic profiling. The #1 rated intersection (I-40 & Coors) does not even have a camera! Is this really about traffic safety? Or are these cameras simply placed in parts of the city where Mayor Chavez and his team know the citizens will pay the fines?

Take a look at the following map courtesy of www.ersys.com that shows the income distribution in the Albuquerque Metro Area.

Now, look at the large area of income levels over $55,000 and you'll find that is also where (you guessed it) a majority of the Red Light Cameras are being installed. Even a blind man, woman, or small animal could see that the cameras have become a revenue stream for the city.

Now, you may have noticed that the Eye, while spending an inordinate amount of time watching those characters down at city hall, simply hates the idea of these crazy cameras watching the profitable intersections in the Northeast Heights. Some may even speculate that we spend our time practicing for the previously blogged and recently renamed Daskalos 500 and don't want to see our shining eye caught in Mayor Marty's candid camera. Nothing could be further from the truth. We simply believe that law enforcement should not be used for revenue generation. It's too easy for the Mayor and Council to start depending on that camera cash cow. And you know what that means... manipulating the time of yellow lights and putting the cameras in the most profitable parts of town. (Oh yeah! They already did the latter!)

What to do if you want to make a change... Call the Mayor and the City Council to remind them that you vote and you did not vote for this tax. If you do nothing, you are allowing Mayor Chavez and the City Council to tax you without your consent. You are allowing Mayor Chavez and the City Council to take a basic freedom away, the right to vote.

If you get one of these candid camera citations, don’t just pay, demand a hearing on a specific date and time. Let the city know in writing you will not wait longer than 30 minutes for your case to be heard.

Our Eyes have found that citizens are waiting up to 3 hours for their case to be heard. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!

Remember the city elected officials work for you. You are their boss. The elected officials do as you direct or they get FIRED!

Your comments are welcome.

Next: How to Fight the Camera Tax

1 comment:

Unknown said...

And now we have a NEW candid camera up at Coors and Central. I wonder if it's because of the new Verizon call center that's just a couple of blocks away?