click here to download 9 page .pdf
barry sevin, jr. and edwin t. bernard
versus
the parish of jefferson,
jefferson parish council and
redflex traffic systems, inc.
copy of suit made courtesy of central la politics blog - see their post civil rights lawsuit filed against redflex!
while we had been extremely pleased to see so many lafayette citizens taking such a strong stand for freedom and against the rising surveillance state being erected as always under the guise and fraudulent paradigm of "public safety" by the pet shop bois crime gang currently running lafayette consolidated government, we had been equally disappointed in what we had perceived to be such a non caring attitude about spy cameras by the residents of jefferson parish.
we though it had something to do with jefferson parish citizens continual relection of (now deceased) sheriff harry lee whose contempt and disdain for the constitution was legendary.
louisiana's capital city, baton rouge is also in the process of erecting spy cameras and we havent heard a peep from anyone there. however, we havent been so concerned about baton rouge's camera scheme because once the legislators, their staff's and family and friends and the lobbyists start receiving spy cam tickets in the mail we are pretty sure that the legislature will finally once and for all, in no uncertain terms, outlaw spy cameras statewide.
so this morning via the times-picayune, we were pleased to learn that jefferson parish residents arent a bunch of wusses after all:
excerpt:Motorists sue over traffic cameras
Class action says they violate rights
Friday, February 01, 2008
By Richard Rainey
Motorists angered after being caught on film allegedly running red traffic lights at busy Jefferson Parish intersections filed a federal class action lawsuit Thursday against the parish and the Australian company that installed the cameras.
The suit alleges the cameras violate vehicle owners' rights to due process and illegally treat a criminal offense -- running a red light -- with a civil punishment: a $110 fine in lieu of a deleterious mark against a driver's license. The aim is to brand the cameras unconstitutional and have them removed.
The Metairie attorneys who filed the suit in federal court, Joseph R. McMahon III and Anthony Maska, said they were seeking "untold damages" for several clients. They declined to identify the plaintiffs, saying the matter had yet to go to court. No hearing had been scheduled Thursday.
The Parish Council unanimously agreed to set up the cameras, saying the goal was not the income that would come to the parish or to Redflex Traffic Systems, but to encourage drivers to navigate busy intersections more safely.
"We feel the traffic lights are working as far as changing drivers' behavior," Councilman John Young said. "This is a public safety measure. As of right now, just since October we've had less people running red lights."
A wave of complaints began to swell almost immediately after they were turned on in late September. Redflex installed 18 devices at 11 intersections throughout Jefferson Parish, which have resulted in 49,903 tickets issued through Jan. 16. The tickets are sent to vehicle owners, regardless of who was driving at the time the photograph is taken. Redflex collects the fines, then sends part of the sum to the parish government and Sheriff's Office.
Protests against the cameras have ranged from accusing them of infringing on civil liberties to contributing to more car crashes by forcing drivers to stop suddenly as traffic lights change color.
New Orleans recently hired Redflex competitor American Traffic Solutions to install traffic cameras at as many as 20 of the city's most dangerous intersections. Four are already under surveillance.
Jefferson is not the first municipality in Louisiana to endure a lawsuit stemming from traffic cameras. Lafayette is similarly involved as a co-defendant in litigation filed by a private citizen against Redflex over use of the cameras and of vans that travel the city photographing vehicles breaking speed limits. Still, little precedent exists to guide the plaintiffs, McMahon said. ~ click link to read more
EXTERNAL LINK
click here to download 9 page .pdf
