Today it was raining buckets here in Apopka, Florida as I dashed home to pick up my forgotten lunch. An intersection near my house is controlled by an RLC. The light was red as I pulled up to the intersection, so I put on the brakes to stop. I must have hit a really slick spot in the road, because I slid for a few feet before coming to a complete stop. The front of my F-150 was behind the "Stop here on Red Light" sign, but my front wheels were on top of the stop bar. Not beyond the stop bar, but on top of it. I saw a flash in the rear view mirror. I looked around. I was alone at the intersection, which means I probably just won the RLC lottery. I'm sure my prize will arrive in the mail shortly.
So I can expect a ticket for running a red light that I did not, in fact run. What I am guilty of is sliding a couple of feet in a torrential downpour and coming to a complete and full stop a little on top of the stop bar. I will go through the kangeroo court to protest this, of course, but I don't expect to win. Quite the contrary, knowing how Apopka works, I expect that they will confirm this technical foul violation and treat me the same as if I had blown through an intersection and endangered the lives of dozens of innocent people.
At this point, is there anyone left who really thinks that this is about safety and not money? I didn't do anything unsafe, but that won't stop the ticket from showing up in the mail in a few days. The truth is that I am now a victim of a scam. A scam perpetrated by a private company working with Mayor John Land to defraud the citizens of Apopka. Land isn't unique in looking at his voter base as just so many sheep to be sheared. Lots of other mayors feel the same way, which is why Red Light Cameras are sprouting up like mushrooms in a cow pasture after a good rain.
Ban the Cams has been campaigning against this governmental abuse for over a year now, and we plan to turn up the heat even more. I see technical foul violations at that intersection everyday. If just a fraction of the people who suffered those violations would join Ban the Cams in fighting back, we could rid our communities of this scourge once and for all.
Because I live in Apopka, Florida, that is where my fight is going to happen. Wherever you are, you need to join the cause as well. Politicians have to start treating like citizens again, and not just as a revenue source. Join Ban the Cams. Tell your story. Get involved, and let's beat this thing.
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