Leadership

A Letter You Can Use to Fight a Red Light Camera Ticket

by Brother Carlton 
05/31/16
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Years ago when I was living in Hollywood a friend of mine named Paul Walters were doing a job removing concrete from a customer's backyard.   After we loaded my Ford van up we made our way to the  nearest landfill. 

I can't remember the exact intersection but I do remember seeing a camera flash as I was crossing an intersection.  I'm a very safe driver and do not purposefully go through red lights. I normally stop when the light goes yellow. 

On this particular day, as Paul and I made our way through the side streets of Los Angeles, I got caught like a dear in the midst of blinding headlights unable to stop or slow down because of the weight that was on my truck.  I had no choice but to proceed through the intersection but I was unable to clear the intersection before a camera took a picture of my front license plate.

About a week or two later I received a ticket in the mail with a picture of my van traveling through the intersection.  I showed it to my friend Paul who at the time kind of chuckled as we both recalled the incident. 

We both agreed there was nothing that could have prevented such ill timing but the question in my mind was "Was this really a crime?"  Did anybody get hurt?  No. It wasn't like I began to cross the  intersection when the light was already red. That would be both dangerous and foolish. The light was green and had just turned yellow but with the weight and force of the truck's momentum there was no possibity of stopping before the light turned red.   By hitting my brakes and attempting to slow down under such circumstances would have been dangerous as I would likely have been too late clearing the intersection and that would have possibly resulted in somebody either hitting me or some vehicle getting rammed by my van.

It is my habit not to pre-pay any ticket but to fight each and every ticket I receive. This red light camera ticket was no exception. I never paid that ticket although I did check into the local area where I received it.  I didn't believe such tickets were constitutional because there was 1. no victim and 2. There was no police officer or accuser present for me to face-just a camera identifying a vehicle and license plate going through an intersection. 

In our ever present police state I'm sure I am not the only one who believes such tickets represent an encroachment on our civil liberties.

Today I found a great letter that was used to effectively dismiss such intrusions on our freedoms and I want to share it with you my readers so that if you too get one of those obtrusively expensive fines from a red light camera you can fight back and win.  Save your hard earned money for something more productive than filling the cofers of your local bureaucracy.

Here's the letter and it worked like a charm.  You can copy it verbatim and save it for such a time as you may need it.

 To Whom it May Concern,

I received a letter claiming I committed a violation of a speeding law in the District of Columbia on 04/21/2012. As per the instructions, I am writing to plead ‘not guilty’ to this charge. Although this option is said to result in this matter going to court; it is my suggestion that the charges simply be dropped. This suggestion comes out of respect for tax payers, and my request that their hard earned money not be wasted in such proceedings.

As there is no evidence of my involvement with this alleged ‘crime’, as well as the fact that I am not granted my 6th amendment right to face my ‘accuser’ (a camera); I see no way the government could prove my guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I also see find no legal requirement for me to implicate someone else in this process, as it is the government’s responsibility to prove a person’s guilt. It is also my 5th amendment right to remain silent on the matter.

If it is the government’s decision to move forward in this matter, I would request copies of any evidence the prosecution may have of my involvement in the “offense”; as well as, all maintenance records for the camera(s) involved.

Sincerely,

Nathan Cox

As a freedom lovinig patriot Nathan has effectively beat his "red light camera" ticket and he exhorts everyone by saying "PLEASE, NEVER EVER opt to pay these Photo Enforced Speeding AND Red Light tickets!

 You do NOT have to incriminate yourself OR implicate anyone else. It’s the government’s responsibility to provide evidence that YOU were the person driving, don’t help them in their “investigation”.

 ALWAYS go to court and fight your tickets, if there is NO VICTIM... there is NO CRIME!"

 UPDATE: Since writing this letter, Judges around the country have thrown out these types tickets by way of a dismissal. Many folks have used this letter to contest their tickets. For some it has worked, while others it hasn’t. I would like to encourage people to perhaps cite some of the recent rulings, even though it’s not considered case law, it helps drive the point home.

 I also encourage people when writing their letter to use a similar tactic that these bureaucrat thugs use, (intimidation) and let them know you plan on fighting this tooth and nail, sometimes they don’t want to deal with it and they’ll just drop it. If you go to court over it, you will use the exact same defense, because it’s a Constitutionally sound defense.

 Carlton Pruitt ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member) and junk removal expert he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns and poems and doing street preaching. See all his videos on https://www.YouTube.com/user/LAStreetPreacher CONTACT at [email protected]