Long story short, Red Light Cameras will not be coming down this session, but if we don’t act… we will be getting SPEED CAMERAS!!!!

You can find your Missouri Representatives contact information here:
http://www.house.mo.gov/member.aspx
Please, make phone calls and send emails.  We must not allow this legislation to continue!!!
It is very critical that you contact your State Rep., as well as Tim Jones, House Floor Leader and urge them to kill or change HB 430. SA 11 needs to be removed! Please urge them politely to do so.

Today we educated KC about fluoride and red light cameras!

We asked questions about citizens taping police, red light traffic cameras, fluoride in water, how accessible is your city council rep, and urban farming.

Over 100 fliers passed out in 2 hours!!!!!!!!

New LRP potential members AND we educated some snobby rich folks who would have rather not looked at the folks handing out the info LOL

GOOD TIMES, we’re all sweaty hot, though.

http://donttreadoncat.com/2010/07/lrp-man-on-the-street-flier-distro/

Does the Kansas City City Council and the KCPD want to militarize the urban core? Seems so with the implementation of the lovely ShotSpotter system. First of all, let’s understand where this system comes from; the Green Zone in Iraq. That is correct and where they want to use this system is in the “Green Impact Zone” of Kansas City. The ShotSpotter system is a (acoustic surveillance) microphone system that, if funding is granted, would set up this detection system in the heart of the urban core. Federal grants have been applied for through the KCPD. This is a costly system and seems to be a waste of money where more officers could just be placed on the streets in these “high crime” areas. However, there are others on the council and KCPD that are truly “fired up” about this expensive “Orwellian” system. The councilman stated that he did think this system was too expensive, a waste of money, and the money should be used in deploying more cops onto the streets.

The red light cameras are going nowhere, unless we take action and do something about them. The love the city has for the money those unconstitutional robot cops make is much to great for the city to just let go, or even look into the constitutionality of them. The funds raised from these revenue generators go straight into the city’s general fund. One might find it amusing that Kansas City’s City Council may believe that Arizona’s Immigration Bill steps all over due process and will then pass a resolution letting Arizona know just how they feel about that, but you try to discuss due process with the red light cameras and the response you get is crickets. The councilman believes that the red light cameras are providing safer streets, they are needed, and even if the city makes no profit from the cameras, they will stay up. He also stated that they were only installed where the city found the highest number of red light accidents.

Is Kansas City fed up with the E-tax? You bet your bottom dollar they are and they’re letting Kansas City know in the form of doubling the number of petition signatures needed to put the initiative on the ballot to get rid of the tax. So, what will happen if Kansas City citizens tell the City Council they no longer want that one percent e-tax stolen from them? Property taxes will shoot through the roof!! Actually, it was stated that even if all the taxes collected from Kansas City residents were maxed out, the full amount allowable to be stolen and put into the city’s coffer still would not cover the revenue generated from the E-tax. Understand that the way the city sees it, those in the more affluent areas of the metro and surrounding areas are the ones that are truly funding it and Kansas City citizens will not like the outcome of repealing the E-tax. One might argue that if you truly want smaller government, remove their funding, however they will most likely find more ways to steal from us. The councilman did state that he is in favor of the e-tax and does not want to see it repealed.

One item that we did agree with the councilman on was Urban Farming. He stated that the reason we’re being stalled in our fight for legalizing freedom is because of elitism running rogue in some people of the council. The elites that are opposed to this legislation, which would lead to a person having the freedom to sell excess fruits and vegetables from their gardens from their house, are worried about high crime and property values. Yes, high crime is a worry that may stem from selling some lettuce or tomatoes from your front yard. Property values will plummet because people buying houses do not want to have a garden growing on the property next to them. Also, think about the traffic that this type of freedom loving legislation would lead to! You’re going to have neighborhoods packed with cars that don’t “belong” there, people you may not know will be running rampant through the neighborhood, and what about the CHILDREN?!?! Will we see an upswing in kidnappings?? Are you scared yet? Can you feel the grip of fear tightening around you, arising from these worrisome issues? Issues pushed by the elite, forcing your consideration on such simple matters as planting your first garden seed, based on what they perceive as the growing threat of providing the service of selling the fruits of that seed from your own property. There is a glimmer of hope in the fight, found in the sane voice of a Councilman to whom we spoke. He believes the bill to be a community builder for the city, and that’s a key point we can truly agree on.

While we don’t agree on everything, he did appear, through his own admission, to be the one that would agree with our stance on liberty in Kansas City more than any other councilperson. I commend him for taking an hour out of his schedule to meet with us, humanize, harmonize, and discuss. We just hope that our unbending liberty stance grows infectious, and becomes palatable to more office holders as time moves forward.

KANSAS CITY – Missouri put the red light on banning red light cameras in the state Friday. It’s the end of the legislative session and since the issue didn’t pass the House, the proposal is dead for now.

The local group opposed to red light cameras is now calling for Mayor Mark Funkhouser to meet with them and talk about their concerns, but the mayor said it’s an issue of public safety.

Gabe Grider with the Liberty Restoration Project says the red light camera system is flawed.

“They don’t actually ticket the person,” Grider said. “They ticket the vehicle, they ticket the owner of the vehicle, whether it’s the driver or not and there’s some legal problems with that especially when there’s multiple names on the vehicle registration.”

Grider said his group has heard complaints about people getting multiple tickets for one violation or turning right on red.

Since the mayor is in support of the cameras, the Liberty Restoration Project wrote a letter, requesting a sit-down with the mayor to go over the concerns.

“The city claims they installed them for safety, but they’re installed for revenue purposes,” Grider said.

Funkhouser says it’s not just about money. In the first quarter, Kansas City has seen 18,000 fewer red light violations and 67 percent fewer accidents involving someone running a red light .

“My own family was hit at 75th and Main where a lady ran through a red light and smashed our car and people were hurt,” Funkhouser said. “This is a safety deal.”

The mayor said he’s open to talking to the Liberty Restoration Project about its ideas like lengthening the timing of yellow lights, but he calls the red light cameras a clear winner.

“There’s a certain sensation of Big Brother and all that, but I think the way to stay out of trouble is to comply with the law,” Funkhouser said.

Liberty Restoration Project has also discussed the possibility of a ballot initiative, saying that any city where the issue has come to a vote of the people has been voted down.

KANSAS CITY, MO. – People pushing for a proposed law banning red-light cameras in Missouri rallied for support in Kansas City Saturday. A red light camera ban already has passed the state senate.

There are 29 red light cameras across Kansas City. And every time one of them flashes a photo, a vehicle owner gets a $100 ticket in the mail. The city claims the cameras have made intersections safer, citing police statistics showing a drop in the number of accidents at these locations.

“It is a proven program, that it works, the police are very supportive of it,” said Steve Glorioso, former aide to the mayor. “It frees up officers to fight crime, violent crime, burglary, etc. And yet, it allows the city a way and the police a way to cut down on people violating our traffic laws.”

But a group calling itself The Liberty Restoration Project said red-light cameras are all about seeing green for municipalities and vendors that sell them. Supporters of a red-light camera ban say there more effective ways to make intersections safer that don’t cost drivers a dime.

“If you extend the yellow light times by one second, it reduces accidents by 70 to 80 percent,” said Tracy Ward, protester. “All red, which means all the streetlights are red for an extra half a second also increases safety in intersections, it doesn’t cost taxpayers any extra money.”

The state transportation bill currently includes a prohibition on photo red light enforcement systems. Supporters believe there’s a good chance lawmakers will pass it, and then it will be up to the governor.

This is the first in a series of open letters to Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser on behalf of the Missouri Citizens who support The Liberty Restoration Project.

We, The Liberty Restoration Project, have been public in our opposition to the red light photo-enforcement systems since January of 2009. We hold the belief that photo-enforcement systems are installed and implemented in conflict with Missouri State Law and we support the proposed state legislation, which would specifically ban the use of any photo enforcement against citizens of Missouri or citizens of any other state who operate vehicles in Missouri. We believe these systems encourage corruption, fuel and promote negative attitudes towards government and law enforcement, and abuse the rights of citizens. We also stand firmly on the belief that photo enforcement systems are not implemented for safety, but for a revenue source through force and coercion. While we recognize photo-enforcement systems are not unique to Kansas City in the state of Missouri, our organization is based in and receives the most support from the Kansas City area and its surrounding communities and, therefore, we ask you, Mayor Funkhouser, to publicly respond to the following:

1. There are several proven actions that can be implemented for little or no cost at all that reduce red light running and improve the safety of intersections.

Extending yellow light times by a minimum of 1 second
Adding a brief “all red” signal in the cycle stopping traffic in all directions
Increasing the size of stoplights
Clearing unnecessary obstructions that affect a driver’s view of either stoplights or traffic
Synchronizing stoplights to allow a more fluid flow of traffic and adjusting timing to allow sufficient time for vehicles making left turns
Painting chevrons on the surface of the road leading into intersections, which visually tricks drivers into slowing down and leaving larger gaps between vehicles

Why were none of these actions undertaken by the city before the implementation of the photo enforcement systems?

2. In reference to the intersections on 71 Highway, history has shown these intersections are not only dangerous for vehicles but also for pedestrians. A choice was made during the design/construction of this highway to include the three intersections instead of overpasses with pedestrian walkways. These three intersections are the primary source of traffic congestion and stoppages, which unfortunately promotes frustration and unsafe driving behaviors as drivers attempt to avoid stopping. Traffic congestion and stoppages decrease the air quality of the urban core as drivers sit through multiple stoplight cycles at each intersection during their commute.

Do you, Mayor Funkhouser, publicly support the decision that was made during the construction of 71 Highway to include stoplights at 55th St., 59th St. and Gregory Blvd?

Would you, Mayor Funkhouser, support changing the aforementioned intersections to overpasses?

3. The selection of intersections for photo-enforcement is quite suspect. Nearly every intersection has a higher complexity of infrastructure and design than most standard intersections including highway on and off ramps, is part of a highly traveled commuter router or both, and in the case of 71 and 152 Highways, higher rates of speed approaching the stoplights. There is notably a lack of photo-enforced intersections in neighborhoods of higher affluence, i.e. Ward Parkway, Brookside Boulevard, Briarcliff or 64th Street north of the river.

Do you, Mayor Funkhouser, agree with our opinion that the photo-enforced intersections appear to be purposefully placed in fundamentally flawed intersections and in areas of lesser affluence to increase the volume of tickets while reducing the amount of challenges in court?

4. We have seen in the past few months of 2010, statistics published and quoted by city officials regarding the perceived increase in safety since the implementation of the photo-enforcement systems. However, no or very little data accompanies those statistics regarding how the data was collected, analyzed and how it was compared. For example, stating that a 20% drop in accidents occurred at a certain intersection because accident data for 2008 was 5 accidents and in 2009 was 4 accidents is not a statistically sound or accurate representation of what actually took place over those two years. What was the definition of an accident? Did the definition change between 2008 and 2009? What was the traffic volume? What is the ratio of accidents to volume of traffic? Were there extenuating circumstances in either year such as construction, weather or other factors that changed normal operating circumstances of these intersections? Who collected the data? How was the data collected? If in 2008, 200,000 vehicles passed through the intersection with only 5 accidents while in 2009 traffic was reduced and 100,000 vehicles passed through with 4 accidents, the 20% improvement goes away. You see Mayor Funkhouser, just a simple comparison of one year to another does not provide an accurate picture of whether or not photo enforcement systems are actually working.

In an effort to achieve more transparency and in keeping with the trust placed in your elected leadership by the citizens and voters of Kansas City to not mislead or misrepresent them, will you, Mayor Funkhouser publicly release the details of how and by whom the data was collected for the statistics city officials and area media outlets are using?

5. The most recently released monetary statistics state that the city has collected over $5 million dollars from citations mailed to homes of individuals listed as the owner of a vehicle that was photographed despite the fact there in no proof the owner was operating the vehicle. City officials have claimed that these systems are installed for “safety” purposes only. During testimony on March 17 of 2010 in the Missouri Senate Transportation Committee, individuals testifying in favor of photo enforcement on numerous times indicated that these systems both cost more to lease and operate than hiring human officers and also admitted the removal of such systems would cost municipalities large amounts of revenue. We at the Liberty Restoration Project and the citizens we represent believe that by leasing the camera systems from a private company encourages both the leaser and the lessee to engage in corrupt behavior to maintain the systems.

Mayor Funkhouser, if Kansas City’s one and only intention is safety, then why are the photo- enforcement systems leased from a company in Arizona and not purchased? If the intention is only safety, we feel that 100%of the profits collected from these systems should be donated to charities in the communities where the photo-enforced intersections are located. Could you share specifically what the profits from photo enforcement are used to fund?

6. Through our own observation of photo-enforced intersections, citizen testimony and actions taken by Kansas City to temporarily shut down photo enforced intersections due to errors, we have concluded the accuracy and reliability of the leased photo enforcement systems is not consistent with how they are being represented to the citizens of Kansas City by city officials and most media outlets. In addition to the accuracy concerns, we have greater concerns regarding the privacy policies of both the company in Arizona that operates the cameras and the company in Ohio that collects the money from citations. Kansas City is essentially selling the personal information of Missouri citizens for a profit to out of state companies.

What are the privacy policies for American Traffic Solutions and the collection agency in Ohio?

What are these companies authorized to do with the personal information provided to them?

Do these companies run background checks before hiring their employees?

It is our belief that citizens in both Kansas City and Missouri have not been provided with sufficient information to make an informed decision on the issue of photo-enforcement. In our research we have found that when photo-enforcement systems are put to a popular vote, they are defeated every time. In response to the concerns we have raised in this letter, we are requesting an immediate meeting to gain answers to our questions. As a matter of transparency, and public disclosure, we will record the meeting, in order to provide the citizens of Kansas City, Missouri and neighboring states with a more complete analysis on the issue of photo-enforcement. Such due diligence is both necessary, and required, in order provide the best service, while protecting civil liberties, for our citizenry.

In defense of the principles our Republic was founded upon,

The Liberty Restoration Project
P.O. Box 413953
Kansas City, MO 64141
816-213-1923

Tuesday, May 4th
We will be in Jefferson City for the CODE BLUE HEALTH CARE FREEDOM ACT RALLY
Show Me State Sovereignty
Code Blue Rally
When: Tuesday, May 4, 10:00 a.m.
Where: Missouri State Capitol – Senate Gallery
Why: We must show up in huge numbers so Senators know we mean business. “We the People” want a ballot option to protect our families from federal health control. (Wear Red)

Rally at noon in the first floor rotunda!

Hear from the sponsors of the resolutions and leaders of the Missouri Sovereignty effort in the Missouri General Assembly – Sen. Jane Cunningham, Rep. Tim Jones, Sen. Jim Lembke, Rep. Brian Nieves and others.

They have set up a fun activity before the rally if you’re interested:
9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. – Join in the Rolling Tea Party circling the Capitol. Decorate your car with balloons, flags, writing on the glass – however creative or not creative you want to be. We are alerting the press and the members of the General Assembly to step out of the Capitol at that time and watch the patriots as they circle the Capitol in support of the Health Care Freedom Act.
At 9:55 a.m., honk your car horn for two minutes.
Drivers should then drop off your passengers so they can go in and find seats in the Senate Gallery. They can save a seat for the driver so the driver can join them after the car is parked.

Wednesday, May 5th
SUPPORT Urban Farming
Kansas City City Hall, 26th Floor
1:30pm

A lovely message from BADSEED:

This is crazy Farmer Brooke and I am down on my dirt-stained knees begging you to drop everything on Wednesday, May 5th at 1:30 PM and get your “organic” booties down to City Hall on the 26th Floor to SUPPORT URBAN AGRICULTURE at the final hearing before City Council to vote on city code changes that will make it possible for urban farms and gardens to flourish throughout KC!!

As you know, this movement to amend the city codes regarding farms & gardens came out of the BADSEED crisis which began last season when our idyllic farm came under scrutiny from the City and was threatened to be dismantled. Consequently, we are in fact moving to a new location. We may have lost the battle here on BADSEED Farm, but all the heart-ache will be worth it IF as a result we get a “greener” Kansas City at large. Heck Yeah!!!

We Kansas Citians are very fortunate to have some awesome “forward-thinking” and “environmentally aware” individuals on our City Council who have pushed this codes change forward. However – there is plenty of opposition and without the showing of community support this thing will get squashed under the pressure of politically powerful “tomato-haters”……ya know…..the same folks who rose up against BADSEED Farm in the first place. Why?? Well, come weed an onion bed with me, and I will tell ya all about it….

Okay Okay – on a more serious note – I need you! My urban eggplant needs you. We need you to support us on May 5th!

Pretty pretty PLEASE with heirloom tomato sauce on top of it……

If you cannot make it down to City Hall you can always e-mail a “short and sweet” letter of support to your City Council representatives at city_council@kcmo.org. PLEASE contact me if you need more info or details.

If this thing passes it will actually be legal for you to come and weed my onion beds with me!! Haha!

Yours Truly,
Brooke
-farmer and mistress of the BADSEED

Saturday, May 8th
Red Light Camera protest at 39th and Southwest Trafficway
Noon to 2pm
You know the drill, you’ve seen us out there at least 3 times this year. This is BIG PUSH!! Details as follows:

For the past year, Senator Jim Lembke and Campaign for Liberty members have worked on banning Red Light Cameras. Senator Lembke’s amendment to ban red light cameras passed in the Missouri Senate this Tuesday. With a little more work, that legislation now has a good chance of passing in the Missouri House.

Red Light Cameras have been a violation of your rights and they do not provide due process. We need your help to insure that this ban becomes law and is not stripped in committee from HB2111. The bill’s fate lies in the hands of these legislators:

Please call:

your state representative (contact info here www.house.mo.gov )

Senator Stouffer (sponsor of the bill) (314) 751-1507

Representative Dixon (committee chair) (573) 751-9809

Representative Faith (573) 751-1452

Encourage support of this ban.

Here are some talking points associated with the lack of due process:

Due Process: says that government must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to the law. Due process holds the government submissive to the law of the land, protecting individual persons from the state.

The 5th amendment to the constitution says that no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.

Because of municipality’s use of a ‘rebuttable presumption,’ or a presumption that the driver of the car is the owner of the car, and a failure of the municipality to provide evidence against the driver of the car, individuals are forced incriminate themselves or investigate, provide evidence, and incriminate another.

Forcing the owner of the car to incriminate another, in many cases a family member, can be a violation of a person’s right to spousal privilege (the right to not incriminate or testify against your spouse).

Municipalities use a presumption of guilt, not innocence, and punish our Missouri citizens based on the assumption that the individual who owned the car is the individual who ran the red light. If you are innocent you must provide proof of your innocence vs. the state providing proof of your guilt.

Thank Senator Lembke, Josh Carter and Tracy Ward for leading the effort to stop this violation of Missouri citizen’s rights.

Paul Hamby
Missouri Coordinator
Campaign For Liberty

*Much thanks from Liberty Restoration Project to Paul Hamby for getting this message spread far and wide and helping promote the protest as well!!!

I hope to see some of you at the upcoming events!! If you know of something that Liberty Restoration Project should attend, let me know and I’ll get it posted!!

Senator Lembke asked for a roll-call vote so we know who stands where on this issue:

YEAS:
Barnitz – (573) 751-2108
Bartle – (573) 751-1464
Callahan – (573) 751-3074
Champion – (573) 751-2583
Clemens – (573) 751-4008
Crowell – (573) 751-2459
Cunningham – (573) 751-1186
Dempsey – (573) 751-1141
Engler – (573) 751-3455
Goodman – (573) 751-2234
Green – (573) 751-2420
Griesheimer – (573) 751-3678
Lager – (573) 751-1415
Lembke – (573) 751-2315
Mayer – (573) 751-3859
Pearce – (573) 751-2272
Purgason – (573) 751-1882
Ridgeway – (573) 751-2547
Rupp – (573) 751-1282
Schmitt – (573) 751-2853
Scott – (573) 751-8793
Shoemyer – (573) 751-7852
Stouffer – (573) 751-1507

NAYS:
Bray – (573) 751-2514
Days – (573) 751-4106
Keaveny – (573) 751-3599
McKenna – (573) 751-1492
Shields – (573) 751-9476
Vogel – (573) 751-2076
Wilson – (573) 751-9758
Wright-Jones – (573) 751-2606

ABSENT:
Justus – (573) 751-2788
Nodler – (573) 751-2306
Schaefer – (573) 751-3931

However, HB2111 still has to make it through the Senate Government Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee and then go back to the House and probably a conference committee before it finally passes, and each step carries the possibility that this anti-RLC provision could be stripped, so we’re not done quite yet.

While I appreciate all the Senators who voted in favor of this amendment–and of course Senator Lembke for his tireless fight against Red Light Cameras–it was very nice to see Bill Stouffer vote “YEA” on the amendment. Senator Stouffer, as chair of the Transportation Committee, is key to making sure that this provision stays in the final bill. So while I plan on calling all of the Senators that voted “YEA” and thanking them for their vote, I will be sure to thank Senator Stouffer especially and let him know that I noticed and appreciated his support for this very important measure, and I encourage others to do the same.

I’ll keep everyone updated on the progress of this bill, and if anyone has anything to add to this or any other suggestions on how we might keep this provision in the final bill, please let me know and I will be sure to spread it around. Thanks!