Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 12-29-15 Edition

Features
Plans To Reduce Prison Population Has Local Moms Elated
Man Continues His Fight With Government Agencies Over Red Light Camera Fines
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
With the announcement that Congress is seriously talking about reducing this country’s prison population, no one is happier than Brunette McCray, Bessie Salter, Cynthia Williams, and Shirley Copeland.
These four ladies have ex- perienced the imbalance of the criminal justice system, either as inmates or having a family member incarcerated.
“We’ve been asking for this for so long, it’s hard to believe someone is finally lis- tening to us,” said Mrs. Copeland.
“We can’t get too excited, because it’s only in the dis- cussion phase right now. But, at least they are starting to realize that something needs to be done.”
The disparity in sentenc- ing guidelines has been a problem in the Criminal Jus- tice System since it decided to get tough on crime, espe- cially drug related offenses.
“When the United States government turned its atten- tion to street level dealers and ignored the suppliers, they knew what they were
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
For more than 2 years, a Tampa resident has been fighting government agencies and its system of laws regard- ing the red light camera fines.
Benjamin Tate has ap- peared before numerous judges, been arrested 3 times, and given several warnings about his quest to stop citi- zens from paying, what he calls “ridiculous fines.” Red light camera laws have been challenged on numerous oc- casions, which is why he calls the laws unconstitutional. He points out several instances where the cameras do not work, or give the wrong sig- nals.
Tate has traveled the country gathering informa- tion on the laws governing red light cameras. He is con- vinced that the red light cam- era laws in this community are illegal and the fines hurt the citizens of the commu- nity. He believes the camera companies are also scheming about the validity of these cameras so that they can con- tinue to make money.
“There are numerous doc- umented instances of camera malfunctions and program dishonesty that target and
Letter To Editor
Response To Lung Transplant Patient Nearing 1-Year Anniversary
From left to right: Shirley Copeland, Bessie Salter, Brunette McCray, and Cynthia Williams.
BENJAMIN TATE ...Says red light camera laws are unconstitutional.
burden innocent people,” he said.
Because Tate blatantly re- fuses to pay the fines for tick- ets he has received, he has been arrested 3 times in Hillsborough County, spent 6 months in jail, and says there’s a current warrant for his arrest for the same thing.
He has made contact with the FBI since he believes he has not committed any crime, yet he’s being ha- rassed. “This judge has vio- lated several federal laws. He expects me to adhere to his orders and that is not going to happen.”
Tate, a 22-year veteran of the U. S. Army, is attempting to get the community on board with his fight against fines for red light camera vi- olations.
Tate can be reached at (813) 347-0557 or (813) 516- 0056, or email healthadvi- sorbt@yahoo.com.
doing,” said Ms. Salter. “The majority of young men and women in prison are there on drug charges, and more than 90% of them
are Black.”
Ms. Williams, who is
serving a life parole sentence after going to prison in 1977 at the age of 19 for second- degree murder said, the in- tent to make inmates feel hopeless is intentional.
“They don’t offer you any- thing while you’re in prison. They know you’re going to reenter life with a criminal record and probably won’t be able to find a job. They also know in some cases that means you’ll be coming back.”
All four ladies said they wonder what happened to
make the government finally take a step back and see what’s going on.
“The cost of incarcerating one person is enormous, and when you incarcerate more than 2 million nationally, you can only imagine how much that cost the govern- ment,” said Ms. McCray.
Now that things are start- ing to happen, the ladies said they plan to turn up the heat in 2016, but they still need support.
“We’ve been circulating a petition to send to Congress to get some things done,” said Mrs. Copeland.
“Anyone interested in joining us who has either served time or have someone serving time is welcome to join us.”
The story of Adrian White’s lifesaving lung transplant is a beautiful example of the many miracles created annu- ally by the gift of organ and tissue donation. Mr. White’s improved qual- ity of life can be attrib- uted to many – his loving family, skilled medical professionals and his own strength and perse- verance. The most im- portant link in providing his new life, however, was not mentioned in the story – the individ- ual who provided his lifesaving organ.
Somewhere in the United States a family lost a loved one, and in the midst of their grief they helped carry out their loved ones wish to save lives as an organ donor. One person’s de- cision spared Mr. White’s family – or per- haps several families – the same tragedy of loss by choosing to give the gift of life.
such anonymous indi- viduals sets an example for the rest of us. If you haven’t already done so, please decide to become an organ donor. You can sign up on Florida’s Donor Registry by visit- ing www.DonateLife- Florida.org today or when renewing your driver license or ID card.
One organ donor can save the lives of 8 peo- ple, and impact many more through tissue do- nation. There are more than 122,000 people waiting nationally for a life-saving transplant – and each of us has an op- portunity to become a hero every time we say “yes” to organ donation.
Sincerely, BRANDI AHONSI The author is the Public Affairs Coordina- tor for LifeLink Founda- tion. LifeLink of Florida is the federally desig- nated organ recovery organization for west
and southwest Florida.
The generosity of
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015