SPECIAL PROTEST-DAY EDITION
Interstate 10 and 16th Street
July 3 2009 – 4:00 PM
Why Oppose Automated Ticketing?
It’s Fraud. There is no independent oversight to ensure the accuracy of the cameras and sensors. Redflex and ATS, the two companies running these schemes, have repeatedly been involved in scandals ranging from forgery to faulty equipment (1, 2, 3, 4, 27 pages more…). The State Treasurer has even called the implementation to be in violation of the State Constitution.
It’s Big Brother. The cameras record and stream high-quality video 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even of those not accused by the cameras of an infraction. Automatic License Plate Recognition tracks vehicles and compares the registration data on drivers to national databases. “Point-to-point” speed requires the cataloging of all passing license plate data, as well as the related imaging (see Redflex pdf).
It’s About the Money. Automated ticketing was pushed on Arizona only as a method to generate revenue, and lots of it. Former Gov. Janet Napolitano publicly admitted that she wanted to raise over $90 MILLION dollars a year using the system. This takes money out of the local economy and sends it overseas to Australia’s Redflex. In addition, the money is also used to help fund politicians’ re-election campaigns.
It’s Extortion. It’s Unfair. Arizona lies to drivers on so-called “notices of violation,” which are mailed out in an attempt to frighten unsuspecting people into waiving their Constitutional rights. The mailing of a document via USPS is not proper service, and you are not required to respond. Top executives of ATS and Redflex know this, as they have repeatedly ignored their own tickets. Arizona Judge Keegan calls the system unconstitutional.
It’s Unsafe. Photo radar has NEVER stopped a speeder or dangerous driver. Drunks, fugitives, and car theives go unpunished by automated ticketing. Bright flashes cause “temporary driver blindness” according to the inventor’s own patent. Cameras are placed in dangerous locations against the advice of researchers so that revenue can be maximized.
Police say photo radar delays response times. 43% fatality increase on photo-enforced Tempe roadways. Rear end collisions, which can prove to be exceptionally deadly, see increases of 54% to 65%. Even pro-photo enforcement groups such as AAA question DPS’s bogus “safety” statistics. Red-light cameras also prove to be a threat to life and property, with some cities reporting an astonishing 89% increase in injury accidents.
Top 5 Things You Can Do To Help
DONATE to Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar.
ATTEND our next meeting on July 14, 2009.
SIGN the ballot measure to end automated ticketing.
START collecting signatures for the ballot measure or send us an email to become a business collection point.
why does anyone support this scam?
Fear and money, that’s about it. The politicians like the money, and the few ordinary people (as in not politicians) I have found that accept the cameras have bought the lie that it makes us “safer”.
Awesome job! This post really takes all of our arguments and ties them together brilliantly. Hats off.
Excellent post for first time website visitors to read up on. Brilliant.
Nice executive summary!
We need to get this on billboards right above the scam-cams! That would be awesome! Anyone know what billboards cost? I have seen a FreedomsPhoenix.com billboard off the I-17 truck route portion awhile back but its not there anymore, or at least I keep missing it as I go through there, I am distracted by the massive amount of people jamming on their brakes!
Saw some pics (finally) on your meetup group and it was good to see so many of your “2600″ strong show up LOL
I only counted 10 so I guess only .004% of your strong could make it.
Well I could be generous and go with youe estimated attendance of 46. So I guess 1.8% made it.
But you know what I’ll be extra nice and take out Twitter members because I guess the cross over is so small and you can all give yourselves high fives knowing that 3% of your members showed up.
And unless I’m missing it, where was the media coverage?
Can you say EPIC FAIL? LOL LOL
It’s enough to annoy an industry apologist like you, so I would say mission accomplished. Show me a single event where even two have gathered in support of the cameras.
Funny thing about the media though… a lady stopped by the protest and asked if she would see the event on TV. It’s almost as if she wouldn’t be able to believe it unless anchored by a guy in a suit, despite seeing it with her own eyes.
It doesn’t annoy me, it just makes me laugh when I’m reading about how this is going to be “the best sign wave ever” and I see no results. Well I guess you did add 4 more members who signed up but will probablly end up doing nothing else.
The cameras are in place and there isn’t a threat of them coming down unless you somehow get that inniative on the ballot so there is no need to gather in support of the cameras.
Can you say “vocal minority”?
That “vocal minority” of “only 10″ (45) required a response from DPS consisting of:
-3 patrol units parked to the south at 16th St and I-10.
-2 patrol units parked to the north of 16th street and I-10.
-2 patrol units parked on the freeway with lights flashing EB and WB on I-10.
-1 additional patrol unit parked 500 feet away to the west on I-10, lights flashing.
-yet another patrol unit about 1 mile away on I-10, lights flashing.
What are you and DPS so afraid of?
wow disabled a camera LOL
Funny, you call us a minority… but when we go to events, for every 1 of you who support the cameras, we might gather 50-100 signatures from those who don’t like them.
The thousands upon thousands of signatures that have been gathered are definitely not saying “vocal minority.” I have talked to many initiative signees, and they are EXTREMELY supportive and spreading the word about this initiative. They are very willing to end the fascist and unconstitutional photo enforcement system. Not everybody can make sign waves or signature gathering events, but the are in agreement, which is support enough.
We are a “vocal minority” of a Non Vocal majority. The few fighting for the rights of the many. You have touched on a good point the worst threat to our freedoms is the apathy of the people. “We have found the enemy the enemy is us”. If people don’t fight for their freedoms soon they will have none to fight for. If you truly believe you are in the majority you should want us to let the people express their opinions by voting. If you are right when we get the initiative it will be soundly defeated. I however do not believe that will be the case.
To the constant skeptics, redflex employees, unemployed bored folks and other commentators like “WOW”; perhaps you could channel your energy and time into something more useful than trying to slander people like us who are trying to actually stick up for the population as a whole whether you agree with the $cameras or not. Your constitutional rights are being slowly dimmed, by our government (on this and other issues), and we’re out there literally sweatin it out for the greater good. The anti-$scamera movement is representative of something bigger than just this- it’s about a state and federal government system that is out of control and stopped listening to the voices of the people many years ago.
Respectfully, please go find something else to ‘hate on’. When this group helps preserve some of your rights in the November 2010 election with the proposition, you won’t need to thank us if your pride won’t allow you to.
Well said.
And what makes you think that there are pictures of everyone who attended?
Because whenever you have a semi decent turnout you always post giant group shots Robert.
In this case it would have had to be two group shot because we had both sides of the 16th Street Bridge covered, Mike.
I only know of one giant group shot that I’ve posted from a sign wave, and since then we’ve had events with greater turn out. I haven’t posted pictures from the July 3rd event yet as I have a life, job, family, pets, need to sleep once in a while, etc.
Perhaps you have a poor grasp on what it is that I ‘always’ do.
I wonder if this wet blanket posting on here puts half as much energy towards something they believe IN instead of something they don’t believe in. Seems like a waste of energy to me…
DPS: On July 3rd, you wasted a significant amount of our tax-payer dollars and resources “staffing” our event for us. No one asked you to do this. No one needed you to do this. Between your agency and Phoenix PD, over a dozen officers wasted their time babysitter honest hard-working taxpayers, who are technically your employer. (Yes, thats right- you still work for us).
I fully support DPS’s desire to be around to ‘remind that demostrators’ to be safe and not put their safety or others’ safety in question- but you could have done this with one officer, and one vehicle.
Please start paying attention to how you’re using tax-payer dollars, yesterday was a complete failure on your part to be good stewards with our money.
PS: A special “kudo” goes out to the DPS officer who waited 40 MINUTES to assist a stalled motorist who was parked 500 feet behind his patrol car, (parked under the 16th street overpass on I-10 westbound (north side). This level of professionalism demostrates how you’re really out there lookin out for the people who pay your salaries.
Saw that too… what a joke. All their “highway patrol” units were too busy doing everything BUT patrolling the highway!
Maybe they’ll install breakdown cams to send those people tickets too.
Did anybody get photo’s or video of that? I think the citizens, especially the stranded motorist, ought to know about DPS priorities.
Breakdown cams…lololoolol lmao Priceless
I think the people should lobby our pretend representatives and tell them that DPS’s budget should be cut. After all these pirates seem to have plenty of cash laying around to spend on useless monitoring.
I don’t recall the tax payers signing up to have your corporation(DPS) running amuck and blowing their tax dollars watching people peacefully utilizing their first Amendment right!