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Activists Protest Red Light Cameras At Intersection Where Spikes Occurred

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Activists on a campaign to get rid of red light and speed cameras in Chicago are out protesting today, buoyed by the Tribune's analyses that found thousands of people may be due refunds for tickets they didn't deserve.

WBBM's Mike Krauser reports that at 119th and Halsted, passing cars honked their horns to announce support for the effort to abolish the cameras.

Activists Protest Red Light Cameras At Intersection Where Spikes Occurred

Don Bransford says the intersection is one that has had dramatic spikes that City Hall can't or won't explain.

"You can fight City Hall. This one really is working. It goes across the board. Look around you here, where else do you see in the city of Chicago all different political strains, all different ethnicities coming together over a cause," Bransford said.

Bransford has been out protesting the cameras for two years now.

Bill Kyle from the Lawndale neighborhood, said, "it's absolutely not about safety, it's about money. $100 tickets."

He believes the city has been monkeying with the cameras to issue more tickets and that is is just a matter of time before there's a red light camera ban.

"I think we've got terrific momentum," Kyle said. "Every time you listen to the news or pick up a newspaper you find out where they are finding more and more things about the red light cameras that don't shake out."

Another protestor who has a business helping people fight the tickets with the city's own video tapes, says the majority of cases he's handled involved shortened times at yellow lights.
He said he's certain that by taking fractions of seconds off the length of time that a light is yellow can explain why some intersections have seen dramatic spikes in ticketing.

The city of Chicago has promised to review the 9,000 tickets issued at the intersections where there were ticket spikes, but Mayor Emanuel couldn't say how that review will be done nor whether motorists have any recourse to appeal a decision.

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