Things are heating up in Buffalo with a contentious race to determine the new Mayor scheduled for November. 
 

In the backdrop of this race, NCLEJ has been working with individuals and community groups to fight back against discriminatory policing, including challenging the school zone speed camera program that disproportionately targeted residents on Buffalo's East Side. This program is an extension of the discriminatory practices highlighted in our case Black Love Resists in the Rust , et al. v. City of Buffalo, which alleges that for seven years, the City of Buffalo has targeted Black and Latinx drivers to generate revenue and make up for budget shortfalls.

We had a major win this summer.  At an administrative hearing, we showed that the speed camera program did not meet minimum statutory requirements, and as a result, a judge dismissed two tickets issued to my client under this program. Buffalo’s city council ended the school zone speed camera program with the last camera coming down in July.  

But there's more to be done: thousands of people  have been stuck with hefty fines and fees. We created this guide for residents to dispute a traffic ticket issued under this program, in coordination with frontline activists. See media coverage of this story. 

None of this progress would be possible without the grassroots activism of our partner, the Fair Fines and Fees Coalition, combined with our impact litigation, which are core to NCLEJ's model. 

We will be sharing more updates from Buffalo soon.