Stop and Go Politics

Hitting another red light: Turning off Houston's red light cameras hinges onweekend mediation

You might think, based on the murmuring in the hallways of City Hall, that the City Council special meeting on Friday morning might get a little more heated. Sure, there were a few impassioned speakers, a couple of eye rolls, and a bit of thinly veiled animosity between council members, but ultimately it was all for naught. The red light camera issue has been put off (again) until next week's regular council meeting, thanks to a "tag" from Councilwoman Sue Lovell.

A hearing will be held on Saturday between the City of Houston and American Traffic Solutions, the vendor who supplies and operates the 70 red light cameras, to mediate the amount of damage that the City will endure if it breaks the contract. The City Council will vote next Wednesday on whether it's worth it to follow the will of the voters who voted down the cameras in a November referendum, in light of the negotiated price tag.

The renege may cost Houston up to $25 million according to American Traffic Solutions claims. Since the cameras began snapping plates in September 2006, and until November's resolution, the city collected $44 million in revenue from tickets issued (as of November, about $25 million in fines remained outstanding).

Between July 24, when the cameras started rolling again, and this week, the City has sent out more than 3,400 red light violation citations. The referendum last November has essentially been ruled null and void. No wonder the public is enraged, with ACLU members, community activists, and tea partiers standing together against the indecision, imploring the Council to turn the cameras off for good.

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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.”