‘Being poor is not a crime’

[Donald Polish]

Civil group files lawsuit to help man imprisoned for failing to pay fines.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against officials in DeKalb County, Georgia after a judge imprisoned a black teenager who was too poor to pay $838 in fines. It all started with a traffic ticket near his home.
ACLU attorneys are now asking for an end to a process which, according to the group, allows indignant and impoverished Americans to be wrongly imprisoned for not being able to afford fees.
"Being poor is not a crime. Yet across the county, the freedom of too many people unfairly rests on their ability to pay traffic fines and fees they cannot afford," Nusrat Choudhury, an attorney with the group’s Racial Justice Program, said in a statement this week. "We seek to dismantle this two-tiered system of justice that punishes the poorest among us, disproportionately people of color, more harshly than those with means."
This union is absolutely a stupid organization of full idlers. They would rather wonder who is this teenager and why he doesn't work? They seem to misunderstand the meaning of the word "poverty". What a stupid situation so normal to America!

 

[PredFan]

You can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.

He isn't being punished for being poor, he's being punished for committing a crime and then not paying the fine.

 

[Sonny Clark]

Civil group files lawsuit to help man imprisoned for failing to pay fines.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against officials in DeKalb County, Georgia after a judge imprisoned a black teenager who was too poor to pay $838 in fines. It all started with a traffic ticket near his home.
ACLU attorneys are now asking for an end to a process which, according to the group, allows indignant and impoverished Americans to be wrongly imprisoned for not being able to afford fees.
"Being poor is not a crime. Yet across the county, the freedom of too many people unfairly rests on their ability to pay traffic fines and fees they cannot afford," Nusrat Choudhury, an attorney with the group’s Racial Justice Program, said in a statement this week. "We seek to dismantle this two-tiered system of justice that punishes the poorest among us, disproportionately people of color, more harshly than those with means."
This union is absolutely a stupid organization of full idlers. They would rather wonder who is this teenager and why he doesn't work? They seem to misunderstand the meaning of the word "poverty". What a stupid situation so normal to America!

I totally agree 110%. We live in a F**ked up country where "freedom" in non-existent. In America, your freedom is your luck, plain and simple. Not only do we imprison the poor and less fortunate members of society, but we also imprison the innocent. Something has gone terribly wrong in America, and it's getting way out of hand.

 

[Sonny Clark]

You can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.

He isn't being punished for being poor, he's being punished for committing a crime and then not paying the fine.

He's too poor to pay the fine. He's not locked up for a crime, he's locked up for being too poor to pay a fine.

 

[occupied]

You can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.

He isn't being punished for being poor, he's being punished for committing a crime and then not paying the fine.

You are apparently unaware what an unmitigated disaster even a minor traffic ticket is to someone who is just barely keeping their head above water. You might just write a check and grumble but for some it means not paying the rent or buying food to avoid going to jail.

 

[peach174]

Civil group files lawsuit to help man imprisoned for failing to pay fines.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against officials in DeKalb County, Georgia after a judge imprisoned a black teenager who was too poor to pay $838 in fines. It all started with a traffic ticket near his home.
ACLU attorneys are now asking for an end to a process which, according to the group, allows indignant and impoverished Americans to be wrongly imprisoned for not being able to afford fees.
"Being poor is not a crime. Yet across the county, the freedom of too many people unfairly rests on their ability to pay traffic fines and fees they cannot afford," Nusrat Choudhury, an attorney with the group’s Racial Justice Program, said in a statement this week. "We seek to dismantle this two-tiered system of justice that punishes the poorest among us, disproportionately people of color, more harshly than those with means."
This union is absolutely a stupid organization of full idlers. They would rather wonder who is this teenager and why he doesn't work? They seem to misunderstand the meaning of the word "poverty". What a stupid situation so normal to America!

How much was the first traffic ticket?

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Civil group files lawsuit to help man imprisoned for failing to pay fines.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against officials in DeKalb County, Georgia after a judge imprisoned a black teenager who was too poor to pay $838 in fines. It all started with a traffic ticket near his home.
ACLU attorneys are now asking for an end to a process which, according to the group, allows indignant and impoverished Americans to be wrongly imprisoned for not being able to afford fees.
"Being poor is not a crime. Yet across the county, the freedom of too many people unfairly rests on their ability to pay traffic fines and fees they cannot afford," Nusrat Choudhury, an attorney with the group’s Racial Justice Program, said in a statement this week. "We seek to dismantle this two-tiered system of justice that punishes the poorest among us, disproportionately people of color, more harshly than those with means."
This union is absolutely a stupid organization of full idlers. They would rather wonder who is this teenager and why he doesn't work? They seem to misunderstand the meaning of the word "poverty". What a stupid situation so normal to America!

how ironic isn't it, liberal govt creates poverty and then tries to bleed a poor liberal kid for its operating expenses! Liberalism didn't work in the USSR either.

 

[Kosh]

The penalty for a crime is always stipulated in the state's criminal code.

Many misdemeanors have stipulations of "fine and/or imprisonment." It's dependent on the judge's ruling. And YES, refusal to pay a fine when levied, WILL result in jail time! The reasons are unimportant; you pay the fine or you do time in the county lockup.

It is called PUNISHMENT FOR THE CRIME. It has nothing to do with being poor.

 

[ScienceRocks]

You can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.

He isn't being punished for being poor, he's being punished for committing a crime and then not paying the fine.

He's too poor to pay the fine. He's not locked up for a crime, he's locked up for being too poor to pay a fine.

He should take some classes in a skill he could use to get work. Once he has work then he can pay taxes!

 

[SwimExpert]

 

[JoeMoma]

Maybe traffic cops should be able to look up a traffic law offender's yearly salary and net worth and base traffic fines off a progressive scale like income taxes. (Please read in a sarcastic voice).

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Civil group files lawsuit to help man imprisoned for failing to pay fines.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against officials in DeKalb County, Georgia after a judge imprisoned a black teenager who was too poor to pay $838 in fines. It all started with a traffic ticket near his home.
ACLU attorneys are now asking for an end to a process which, according to the group, allows indignant and impoverished Americans to be wrongly imprisoned for not being able to afford fees.
"Being poor is not a crime. Yet across the county, the freedom of too many people unfairly rests on their ability to pay traffic fines and fees they cannot afford," Nusrat Choudhury, an attorney with the group’s Racial Justice Program, said in a statement this week. "We seek to dismantle this two-tiered system of justice that punishes the poorest among us, disproportionately people of color, more harshly than those with means."
This union is absolutely a stupid organization of full idlers. They would rather wonder who is this teenager and why he doesn't work? They seem to misunderstand the meaning of the word "poverty". What a stupid situation so normal to America!

You do realize that jail time in lieu of a fine is a choice right?
Many poor people choose jail time because they dont have a job to worry about and the government checks will keep on coming either way.

 

[CultureCitizen]

Civil group files lawsuit to help man imprisoned for failing to pay fines.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against officials in DeKalb County, Georgia after a judge imprisoned a black teenager who was too poor to pay $838 in fines. It all started with a traffic ticket near his home.
ACLU attorneys are now asking for an end to a process which, according to the group, allows indignant and impoverished Americans to be wrongly imprisoned for not being able to afford fees.
"Being poor is not a crime. Yet across the county, the freedom of too many people unfairly rests on their ability to pay traffic fines and fees they cannot afford," Nusrat Choudhury, an attorney with the group’s Racial Justice Program, said in a statement this week. "We seek to dismantle this two-tiered system of justice that punishes the poorest among us, disproportionately people of color, more harshly than those with means."
This union is absolutely a stupid organization of full idlers. They would rather wonder who is this teenager and why he doesn't work? They seem to misunderstand the meaning of the word "poverty". What a stupid situation so normal to America!

Now here I am assuming this ticket was a victimless crime :
Make him pay by doing community service instead of jail time.
1) He will actually provide a service
2) The state will not have to pay his meals while he is jail.

 

[washamericom]

there is an ad on public tv that runs... " the opposite of poverty is justice"...

 

[PredFan]

You can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.

He isn't being punished for being poor, he's being punished for committing a crime and then not paying the fine.

You are apparently unaware what an unmitigated disaster even a minor traffic ticket is to someone who is just barely keeping their head above water. You might just write a check and grumble but for some it means not paying the rent or buying food to avoid going to jail.

Too fucking bad. Don't commit the crime if you can't pay the fine.

It all boils down to this fact:

He is NOT getting punished for being poor as the OP so dishonestly tries to claim. He's getting punished for committing a crime and not paying the fine.

 

[occupied]

Maybe traffic cops should be able to look up a traffic law offender's yearly salary and net worth and base traffic fines off a progressive scale like income taxes. (Please read in a sarcastic voice).

Shouldn't be any sarcasm to it. Traffic fines, as we all know, are mostly to generate revenue. If a fine costs someone with a good income 5% of their monthly budget then it is little more than a nuisance but if that same fine costs someone on minimum wage 25% of their monthly income then it is a terribly regressive form of revenue generation that punishes the poor far more harshly than higher incomes. Definitely ought to be a sliding scale for minor traffic offenses.

 

[Stephanie]

oh really, remember the rancher who owed monies?

the left wanted him lynched and HUNG and cheered when 200 armed federal agents stormed his home and family

How nice of the aclu to pick and choose

 

[SwimExpert]

Too much speculation, not enough facts. Let's start out with this:

Kevin Thompson, the teen in question, spent one night in jail last July after a DeKalb County police officer caught him driving with a suspended license. According to Thompson's attorneys, their client was never informed that his driving privileges had been revoked.

When Thompson attended court three months later and pleaded guilty to driving on a suspended license, a judge sentenced him to probation and ordered that he pay a fine of $810 within 30 days. Because Thompson worked as a tow-truck driver, however, he encountered an issue with trying to cover the cost while being unable to operate an automobile.

ACLU files federal lawsuit against Georgia for imprisioning black teenager who was too poor to pay fines -- Society s Child -- Sott.net

 

[SwimExpert]

From reading the link, I do tend to agree that what happened is an injustice. But I'm not sure it's a court case.

 

[occupied]

oh really, remember the rancher who owed monies?

the left wanted him lynched and HUNG and cheered when 200 armed federal agents stormed his home and family

How nice of the aclu to pick and choose

I remember the rich asshole who declined to pay money he had agreed to pay and could easily afford and then didn't. Not even close to being a civil rights case. You people pick the worst kind to be your heroes.