Chicago Mayoral candidate JaMal Green launched a new line of attack recently when he suggested that one of his critics, because that individual, believes that parking violations should be enforced.
Green insists that his critic is a racist for believing that the government should enforce its parking violation laws. Yes, you read that correctly.
Green tweeted on February 17th that Chicago should rethink how it enforces parking violations in the city. He would include eliminating giving drivers multiple tickets, eliminating some speeding rules, nixing red light cameras, and abolishing car boots as part of his plan to completely revamp how traffic laws are handled in the Windy City.
A Twitter user named Brandon Johnson Lane Creature wondered what Green could think when he makes comments like this. His account tweeted: what the hell is this guy doing[?].
Green responded to this user and said that his tweet came from a place of racism and privilege. He suggested that the concerns of the Twitter user were not legitimate but came from a racist point of view and privilege. He also said that Black Chicago residents owe over one billion in debt because of what he says is the predatory nature of traffic violation laws. Greene also wiped away any criticism of his ideas by others because he said that those critics were not black or brown.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Green suggested he would have a program to replace the revenue generated by parking violations. He recommends placing a 1% tax on all vehicles valued at $75,000. He says that this would replace the revenue lost by the city if he planned to go into effect. If this is true, then those who decide to purchase more excellent vehicles for themselves might be faced with paying higher taxes to create the changes in the law that Green envisions for the city.
Green told the Chicago Tribune the following: Booting is inhumane. It should be illegal. Folks are getting driven into poverty. You double the ticket. Theres an extra $100 boot fee. You take the vehicle. Now, you have a fee for seizing [and storing] that vehicle.
He says that policies like this drive people into poverty and would like to see all of this reversed as soon as possible.
Login