John Oliver Reveals How Traffic Tickets Can Ruin People’s Lives (Video)
The “Last Week Tonight” host shows how municipal fines can be insurmountable to some
Joe Otterson | March 23, 2015 @ 7:58 AM
Last Updated: March 23, 2015 @ 8:07 AM
John Oliver gave a detailed breakdown of how municipal fines are enforced, collected and might ruin someone’s life during Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight.”
The HBO host began with the story of Harriet Cleveland, a grandmother who accumulated several tickets she was unable to pay immediately. Cleveland was eventually arrested and incarcerated for ten days after the fines and fees mounted.
Oliver pointed out that a speeding ticket in Alabama costs $255. For a person making Alabama’s minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, it would take them 35 hours to make enough to pay off the ticket.
“The only justifiable you should lose an entire week of your life due to speeding is if you hit 88 miles per hour and go back in time,” Oliver said.
Oliver also highlighted findings in a recent Department of Justice report on the town of Ferguson, Mo., which has been in and out of the news for large scale protests after the death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown at the hands of police.
The report showed that officers would compete to write the most tickets, as municipal fines helped fund city services without raising taxes. Oliver even cited a recent study that showed certain municipalities receive as much as 66 percent of their revenue from the collection of fines.
“When that much of your budget comes from fines, you’re actually rooting for people to break the law,” Oliver said.
And much to Oliver’s chagrin, private companies are now a part of the equation.
Private probation companies agree to collect fines on behalf of municipalities at no charge, instead charging fees to the person paying the fines. One woman, Hali Woods, got a $41 ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. Unfortunately, any money she sent in to the company first went to paying the fees she had accrued, instead of the ticket.
Oliver then suggested that the slogan “Click It or Ticket” should be changed to “Buckle Yourself or Go Fuckle Yourself.”
Oliver also shared the story of Tom Barrett, a man who stole a can of beer who eventually ended up paying $270 in fines. On top of this, Barrett was incarcerated for nonpayment, which cost his city over $3,000 in order to house him for that time.
Oliver closed the segment with a plea to stop putting vulnerable citizens in what he called “the f–k barrel.” He even had a video segment with people sharing minor offenses they had committed, finishing with a call to #StopTheFuckBarrel.
Ferguson Fallout: The Scene Following Decision Not to Indict Officer Darren Wilson (Photos)
Police officers march by a burning squad car during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Looters run out of a store in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Looters break into a business during unrest in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A protester is surrounded by tear gas in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Firefighters try to extinguish a burning restaurant in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A restaurant is set on fire by protesters in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters kneel with their hands up in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A row of cars is set on fire at a used car lot during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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St. Louis Co. Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announces the grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in Clayton, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri listen to a car radio as the grand jury's decision is delivered on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Heavily armed police officers confront protesters in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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St. Louis County police officers in riot gear guard the Ferguson police department on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A suspected looter is detained outside a Dollar Store in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Police deploy tear gas during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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CNN Reporter Sara Sidner was hit in the head with a rock while covering the Ferguson unrest on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters march in New York City following the grand jury decision in Missouri, Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters march through the streets of New York City after learning Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not be charged, Nov. 24, 2014.
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A woman faces police officers on the Harbor Freeway (110) in Los Angeles during a protest against the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters gather outside a shopping center in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters in Beverly Hills block traffic at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Dr. in reaction to the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters gather outside the White House after the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Hundreds of protesters, many of them Howard University students, gather outside the White House after the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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President Barack Obama calls for calm during a news conference in Washington, DC after the grand jury's decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump speaks during a press conference about the Ferguson grand jury decision in Dellwood, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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A worker cleans up glass at a business that was damaged during a demonstration following the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Ferguson Mayor James W. Knowles III addresses the delayed deployment of the National Guard at a press conference in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon speaks about the widespread rioting and looting following the Ferguson grand jury decision during a news conference on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Missouri national guardsmen line up in front of the Ferguson police station on Nov. 25, 2014, ready to be deployed a day after demonstrators caused extensive damage in the city after the grand jury decision.
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Police officers secure the Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters after protesters pushed over barricades during demonstrations on Nov. 25, 2014.
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A protester sits in the back of a Los Angles Police Department transport bus in the early morning hours of Nov. 26, 2014, after being arrested at a protest against the Ferguson grand jury decision.
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Police arrest a Ferguson protester during the early morning hours of Nov. 26, 2014.
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A protester has her eyes flushed after being pepper sprayed by police in Ferguson on Nov. 26, 2014.
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Protesters turned over a police car during a demonstration on Nov. 25, 2014 in Ferguson.
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Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown Jr., attends a press conference in New York City on Nov. 26, 2014 to pray and address the events of the last few days.
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Protesters set up barricades and block the 101 freeway in Los Angeles following the Ferguson grand jury decision, during a protest on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Violence erupts in Ferguson, and protests are held across the country after a grand jury decided Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not face criminal charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown
Police officers march by a burning squad car during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.