Marooned in Atlanta bus station, Theresa Makes Friends

Theresa, who usually sits behind the desk each Monday at 5:30 as people troop in for Sen. Rickey Hendon’s weekly meetings, is always making sure you sign your name correctly. She’s making a list and checking it twice. She knows everybody and misses very little that goes on. She can be properly stern.

But last week Theresa was more excited than stern. She had just come back from a long bus trip. Not just any old bus trip, but a trip that left her and dozens of other people marooned by a blizzard in Atlanta, of all things. Stuck in the Atlanta bus terminal, nothing going anywhere, for three whole days.

Being one of Hendon’s Heroes, Theresa took lemons and made lemonade. She made herself a half-dozen friends—people of all ages and ethnic groups-- who stuck together like glue, told stories, ran errands for each other, minded baggage while some went outside to smoke, showed each other pictures of family and friends. By the end of the three days, they all hugged, cried, scattered to the four winds on various buses.

This week Theresa got a phone call from one of her Atlanta mates who she called Granny. It looks like they may be friends from now on.

When the chips are down, Hendon’s Heroes make friends and stick together. Even after placing only third in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, Rickey’s Monday night meetings have continued to be packed. Rickey says he led the race in 19 of 21 city wards that have a substantial black population, and with some communities of other ethnic groups as well. He would have done even better if the turnout had been more than the lousy 20-some percent that it was.

Rickey’s explanation for the low voter turnouts echoes that of some national pundits: the Democratic majority is depressed and disillusioned. “People are broke. And a lot of people are getting crazy, y’all. We need to spend money here at home, for jobs, education and mental health. Not in Afghanistan killing people!” He says the spending on the war is what’s killing our economy here, and it’s making us more enemies abroad: “The only people who want us over there are the heroin poppy growers that are making a killing off of poisoning our people. I love you Barack, but you gotta bring our troops home!”

He said people should not be afraid to criticize our president even though most of us supported him. If Obama hears from enough people now, he will have time to change course and make the changes he promised, Hendon says.

Join the group that sticks together and pushes for the change we can really believe in!
Every Monday night at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to sign in with Theresa.

STOP! those red light cameras

Nobody thinks it’s good to have drivers running red lights.  But motorists don’t trust the system of cameras taking pictures of drivers running red lights.  The cameras click if your car is just an inch in the intersection when the light turns red.  They click if you are making a legal right turn on red. And, if yellow lights are timed to turn red real fast, the cameras can be an unfair source of revenue raising for local governments.

State Sen. Rickey Hendon last year introduced SB 2477 in the legislature to rein in the abuse of red light cameras, allowing a car up to a foot instead of an inch. He also favors a statewide timing standard for yellow lights, and requiring police to monitor cameras.  This year, his crusade has been joined by suburban Republican legislators who want to regulate the cameras or do away with them entirely.

State Senator Dan Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, has 16 co-sponsors his bill to ban traffic cameras except for construction zones and railroad crossings.  Tickets are usually $100, most of which goes to private companies that install, maintain and regulate the cameras, Duffy says. And Sen. John Millner, R-Carol Stream, is sponsoring a bill to standardize camera regulations. Yellow light times would be standard, drivers who stop before an intersection would not be given tickets and cameras would be painted yellow, more visible to drivers. Additionally, tickets could not be issued unless a police officer monitors the cameras.

http://illinoisstatehousenews.com/2010/02/10/new-red-light-camera-legislation-introduced/
However, Hendon says that his bill has the best chance of passing, because unfortunately the red-light camera companies have too much clout to allow themselves to be banned.  "Municipalities get these cameras from the companies for free. They rake in thousands of dollars--at citizens' expense."

The suburban newspaper Daily Herald last summer found many $100 suburban tickets were being issued to people turning right on red.  The newspaper also found that many cameras were installed or planned at intersections with very few red light crashes. This indicated the purpose was revenue, not safety.

http://dailyherald.com/story/?id=359411

A City of Chicago report claimed collisions decreased because of the cameras. A state report, however, found that crashes often increased at intersections where red light cameras were installed. (One can imagine motorists slamming on the brakes during a yellow light, trying to avoid a ticket,  being rear-ended by the cars behind them.)

 http://chicagoist.com/2009/11/22/red-light_cameras_not_so_special.php

Remember—a lot of unjust government actions come to the attention of Rickey Hendon’s people before others are aware. Changes that help Hendon’s Heroes end up helping everyone.

Question those red light cameras!  If you think they’re picking your pockets without making the roads safer, you’re probably right.

You heard it on the West Side first.