#OccupyLA

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa. LAPD killing Angelenos’ pocket books.

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa,

I am artikleblak of Los Angeles.
Over a year ago I ran into you in the Smart and Final on Wilshire blvd in Mid Wilshire area.
I was the African-American guy who asked you if I wanted to write you a letter, where would I address it
to and you mentioned your assistant.
Well, LAPD is on the war path again. An assault on every day people!
I am writing you with concern of an infraction I received in the month of August 2010.
The ticket was for crossing the intersection at the corner of Wilshire and Vermont, one of the busiest
Metro transportation centers in Los Angeles.

A place where hundreds if not thousands are law abiding Angelenos are hurrying to get to work and
other destinations.
The officer cited me because I started crossing the intersection when the countdown started, not for
Jaywalking!
My concerns are the following:
The city law is too ambiguous! There are so many different types of crossing signals across Los Angeles.
I take the Metro to work because I choose to. I have a car. However sometimes I choose to ride the
underground and bus to work to save on money, take a car off the streets and lessen the pollution of
our city.
The bail of the citation is $176. I can afford to pay this. However the majority of Angelenos riding the
Metro system can’t. Their median income is only around $13,000 to $15,000 a year. They use the Metro
as their chief source of transportation to and from work etc. So how can they afford this excessive bail
amount over such an ambiguous law?
I reside in downtown Los Angeles and could use this bail money to go to a couple of dinners, patronize
local downtown retail shops and do my part in generating revenue and securing jobs for people in Los
Angeles.
I think the city really needs to look at this closely because otherwise your vision of 30/10 might become
a little blurry.
If nothing else, start an educational program on this like the Click it or Ticket campaign.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Artikleblak
artikleblak@gmail.com