Documentation of MTA’s Systemic and Intentional Anti-Black PoliciesLet’s begin with the income figures. 58% of all Black families have income under $25,000 but even worse, 30% of all Black families have under $5,000 a year. What in the world are they supposed to do? With no or fragile housing, starvation income, even the implementation of free public transportation can’t solve all their problems. But it can at least give them the chance to move around the city and county to make some sense and hope out of their lives. Fare “enforcement” or even “collection” is a cruel and unusual punishment. We hope you agree. Another figure that should give us pause is that while Black people constitute 8% to 9% of LA County and City residents they are more than double that representation on MTA buses and trains—the last figures we were are 19% of all MTA passengers. That reflects that Black people as a group cannot afford cars (thus are “transit dependent”) and can’t afford fares for public transportation either. Then, let’s look at “fare evasion citations” which given the data above, should just be called “can’t afford the fare” citations. According to MTA data. in 2018 53% of the passengers given tickets or fare evasion were Black even though they are 19% of all MTA riders. This is not “disproportional” but egregious and intentional discrimination. We believe this racially discriminatory use of federal funds violate Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. We do not have to agree, to agree that the problem must be solved immediately. In 2018, 53% of the passengers cited for fare evasion were Black and there were 18,000 citations In 2019, 53% of the passengers cited for fare evasion were Black while, positively, fare evasion citations were reduced to 8,700 In 2020, 53% of the passengers cited for fare evasion were Black, even though the total was reduced to 1876. This is beyond incredible that the MTA, regardless of its policies, will cite 53% of its Black passengers with statistical certainty one clear reflection of intentionality. Now we move to “fare evasion warnings” (we ask this contrived violation be clarified). But almost like clockwork, 2018—44% Black, more than double their percentage in the population 2019—42% Black, see above 2020 45% Black, see above and above We hope you agree that the statistical certainty is terrifying, only a premeditated anti-Black policy can have virtually identical outcomes Then we move to LAPD “suspect arrest data” 2019 63% of all arrests by LAPD were of Black passengers (more than 300% Black racial profiling 2020 56% of all arrests by LAPD on MTA buses and trains and stations were of Black passengers. |