Houston Area Liberty Campaign

By BRADLEY OLSON via HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Houstonians may not have had the final word on the city’s red light camera program, which voters rejected in a Nov. 2 referendum.

A lawsuit filed by the city grew more complicated Tuesday when opponents of the devices attempted to intervene in litigation between the city and American Traffic Solutions, or ATS, the Kansas-based company that operated the cameras.

Paul Kubosh, an attorney who along with his brothers bankrolled the effort to convince voters to shut down the camera program, accused Mayor Annise Parker’s administration of purposefully offering a weak defense of the referendum.
Such a strategy could result in allowing the cameras to remain in place and operational, he said.

“It appears to us that the city of Houston is laying down cover for ATS because the citizens don’t like to have their vote challenged by an out-of-state corporation,” Kubosh said. “The city is trying to hide behind a federal judge to keep the cameras up because they need the money.”

The vote created an immediate $10 million hole in the Houston Police Department budget, city officials have said.

Defending the outcome

City Attorney David Feldman emphatically denied Kubosh’s charge, saying the city filed a suit preemptively in order to defend Read the rest of this entry »

By Benito Segovia

HOUSTON TX – Just days after more than 70 red-light cameras were turned off thanks to a voter mandate, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will be installing “250 to 300 cameras at downtown intersections in an effort to prevent and fight terrorism and crime.”

Although the timing of this announcement was likely coincidental, it couldn’t look worse for city officials. Almost immediately after a public mandate that such cameras be removed, DHS swoops in to install hundreds more.

While it is still unclear when the original red-light cameras are going to be removed, more than 50 DHS cameras have already been installed, with many more scheduled for installation this summer. The cameras are currently installed around the George R. Brown convention center, Discovery Green Park, the theater district and Minute Maid Park.

Big Brother at Home

The camera footage can be monitored in real-time from multiple locations. This is touted as way to allow police to monitor events remotely instead of staffing events in-person. (It has yet to be seen if this high-tech measure will reduce the cost of city security fees and permits for those holding such events.)

This measure has received opposition from both privacy advocates and budget hawks. Privacy advocates oppose the move because it would give the State an unprecedented look into the daily goings-on of average citizens. While others counter that there is no expectation of privacy in pubic places.

Incrementalism and The New Surveillance Society

Barry Klein, long-time Houston property rights and liberty activist, argued that the cameras would move citizens “deeper into the world of the surveillance society.”  His point is well taken.

In the UK where citizens are accustomed to 24/7 surveillance measures, horrifying levels of privacy invasion are becoming more common. Last July Read the rest of this entry »

By BRADLEY OLSON – HOUSTON CHRONICLE

A petition to ban red light cameras in Houston has been certified by the city secretary, making it all but certain that voters will decide in November whether the 70 devices at intersections across the city will be taken down.

“This is a great day for Houston,” said Michael Kubosh, one of three brothers that collected more than 20,000 signatures required to get the proposed charter amendment on the ballot in this election cycle. “People just need a right to vote, that’s all we’re saying. Now the citizens will have a chance to decide.”

Jim McGrath, a spokesman for Keep Houston Safe, a political action committee advocating the cameras, said the petition is illegal and represents an abuse of the city charter amendment process. He noted that Paul Kubosh, another brother behind the petition, is a lawyer who specializes in defending traffic ticket recipients and has a business interest in the outcome of the election.

Read the rest of this entry »