Rahm Emanuel

Activation of South Side Speed Camera Angers Residents, Alderman

The camera, stationed at the corner of Archer Avenue and Paulina in McKinley Park, was initially installed in September 2014

Residents in Chicago's 12th Ward, along with Ald. George Cardenas, took to the streets on Monday to protest the activation of a speed camera at a busy intersection in the neighborhood.

The camera, stationed at the corner of Archer Avenue and Paulina in McKinley Park, was initially installed in September 2014 despite opposition from Ald. Cardenas and several community members, including members of the Citizens to Abolish Red Light Cameras. On Monday, the camera was activated, and protesters rallied underneath it, asking once again for its removal.

The city placed the camera at the intersection on Archer because of the nearby Mulberry Playlot Park, located at 3120 S. Robinson. Cardenas says the playlot is rarely used and is located more than 200 feet from the camera, which he says faces the opposite direction. In the past, Cardenas has even called to demolish the park to rid the need for the camera.

"This camera is nothing more than an aggressive tactic to nickel and dime the taxpayers of this area," Ald. Cardenas said. "These minor park investments are lipstick on a pig. The community knows this is a playlot that children do not use. To truly make this park safe and inviting for children, a properly placed camera is needed."

While critics say there have been no crashes at the intersection of Archer and Paulina in the last year and a half, the city argues that data shows the cameras help achieve the goal of making Chicago's communities safer by reducing speed.

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