Rosie Drumgoole, the chief program officer for the nonprofit Chicago Cares, is another to come forward who believes Chicago's ticketing policy is unfair, and she said it is a form of "divestment" of communities of color. 

When asked if she has heard or was aware of the ticketing policy that has negatively impacted minority communities, Drumgoole said, "I will say I'm not surprised...this is part of disinvestment." She added, "I think disinvestment is a buzzword that people like to say a lot. Like, we're working in disinvested communities. This is what disinvestment looks like--when you are actively taking money out of communities... That's the epitome of disinvestment."

A city of Chicago policy under Cook County code gives the city the right to revoke your business license if you do not pay or are unable to pay issued traffic tickets. Sec. 54-391 of the Cook County Code of Ordinances states, "The license of any person who has failed to pay any fine, assessment of costs or other sum of money owed to the County pursuant to an order of the Department of Revenue, an order of the Department of Administrative Hearings or a court order, by the due date indicated in the order, or within 30 calendar days of becoming a debt due and owing may be suspended by the Department of Revenue, in accordance with its rules and after affording a hearing. The license shall be suspended until such time that the fine, assessment of costs or other sum of money has been fully paid."

According to a 2018 ProPublica Illinois report, Chicago's practice of issuing tickets for small infractions has resulted in thousands of low-income drivers being saddled with unmanageable debt, leading some to declare bankruptcy. According to the article, Chicago's ticketing system is particularly punitive, with drivers being issued tickets for minor infractions such as expired vehicle registration and failure to signal a turn. In addition, the city has a high number of "relocation tows," where vehicles are towed to an impound lot, resulting in additional fees and fines for drivers. Overall, the article paints a picture of a system that is stacked against low-income drivers and that can have devastating consequences for those who are unable to pay their fines and fees. As the article notes, "For many in Chicago, the city’s ticketing system is a form of regressive taxation that amounts to a financial trap, with the poorest residents the most likely to get caught in it."

Drumgoole said these policies are hurting people.

"It's not thinking about how do we make life better for folks who we have year over year taking money away from or taking resources from," she said, adding that public transit options have also been taken away. 

"On top of that, to add insult to injury, I'm going to take away the money from the folks who stayed by creating unfair ticketing policies that are primarily going to impact folks who live in neighborhoods that have continuously been taken away from them," Drumgoole said. "I'm not surprised because these are communities that are continuously and systematically taken from them."

She said this is not a new practice and she also experienced it "personally, in my younger days...I'm quite aware of the practice."

According to previous reporting by the Southland Marquee, a Chicago pastor, Tyrone McGowan, spoke about how this policy is affecting his community. He called it a "regressive policy" that prevents people from working by revoking their license. "Historically, the City of Chicago has built its economy and attempted to balance its budget off of criminalizing Black and Brown bodies. This ticket policy is just another way the City is oppressing communities of color," McGowan said.

Speaking on the issue, Chicago alderman Andre Vasquez told the Southland Marquee, "Our office has always been more supportive of graduated fines and fees, where the costs are determined by the annual income of the person who has committed the infraction," he added, "In a time where we have seen more collisions, road rage incidents and deaths by vehicle, it makes sense to have accountability, but it is also fair to have a graduated system because flat fees impact different people differently based on the their income." 

A Cook County code gives the city the ability to revoke a license over a certain amount of debt: "The license of any person who has failed to pay any fine, assessment of costs or other sum of money owed to the County pursuant to an order of the Department of Revenue, an order of the Department of Administrative Hearings or a court order, by the due date indicated in the order, or within 30 calendar days of becoming a debt due and owing may be suspended by the Department of Revenue, in accordance with its rules and after affording a hearing. The license shall be suspended until such time that the fine, assessment of costs or other sum of money has been fully paid."

Flexible Work News has reports that this policy has affected gig-workers, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, who are removed from the platform and had their licenses suspended. One driver said “I don't think they should stop people from driving because of tickets; it’s holding back a lot of people. Uber wasn't able to resolve my problem. It's not an Uber issue. It’s a city issue.”

When asked what her opinion is on the ticketing policies, Drumgoole said, "It's awful... When you're taking away someone's transportation, how are they supposed to pay the bills if they can't get to work. And then on top of that, you've already taken out public transit options."

"There might not be a reliable bus line that goes through your neighborhood," she said, "then how are these people who are affected going to get to work?" 

If people, who have had their cars impounded due to nonpayment of tickets, are faced with taking two buses and a train to work, which may not be reliable, that is a problem.

Drumgoole said if someone obtains a car to get to work, and the car is then taken way, "how are they supposed to pay off those tickets, not to mention all the other debts they may have?"

The ticketing policy has been going on for years, and the minority communities have been unfairly targeted, according to all recent reporting on the issue.