Chicago Ticket Debt Causes Downward Spiral For Some Drivers

Chicago Parking Ticket
Daniel X. O’Neil / Flickr
Chicago Parking Ticket
Daniel X. O’Neil / Flickr

Chicago Ticket Debt Causes Downward Spiral For Some Drivers

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Of all the steps a city takes to boost its bottom line, one of the most frustrating for residents are tickets. You know, parking tickets, red light camera tickets, and here in Chicago, fines for forgetting to buy that pesky little city sticker for your front window. Depending on the offense, drivers here pay anywhere from $25 to $250 when they run afoul of the law. For some of us, those fines are a nuisance. But for people without the means to pay, those fines can lead to a quicksand of debt and in some cases, even bankruptcy. A new report from ProPublica Illinois shows that’s what’s happening to many drivers here in Chicago, and it’s hitting low-income African-Americans especially hard. 

GUEST:

Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica Illinois reporter