Law & Disorder

Houston's red-light doublespeak: Meet the "intersection safety" cameras

I don't have a major problem with Houston's red-light cameras. Assumed liability when the owner may not be driving the car is troubling, and some studies show that red-light cameras don't decrease accidents at intersections, but running red lights is dangerous and I support the use of technology to discourage it.

But let's call a spade a spade, shall we? A few bloggers have taken note that in a poll just released by Keep Houston Safe, the cameras are being referred to as the Orwellian "intersection safety cameras" rather than the standard "red-light cameras."

Now I'm not suggesting that the goal of the cameras isn't to increase intersection safety. But they aren't looking for tailgaters, drivers who cut people off, texters or panhandlers who insist on hanging out in the middle of the road. They are trained on one thing: Cars that run red lights.

So why not just call them that? Surely if voters overwhelmingly support them (as the survey results show they do) there's no need for a sterilized name.

Intersection safety sounds like a chapter in driver's ed. The fluffy name makes it sound like a violation will lead to a polite note from HPD, much like the ones my mother put in my lunch during school: "Houston loves you, don't forget to wear your seatbelt and drive safe! Be home by midnight, please."

In reality, a snap from one of these cameras does get a note sent home — with a notice to pay $75 or appear in court.

Which is OK. But let's stay away from doubleplusgood.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”