Clevelanders for Public Transit and Coalition of Supporters Demand Racial Equity
Coalition Calling on GCRTA to Cease Armed Fare Enforcement and to Reallocate 50% of Transit Police Budget to Service and Fare Relief
FULL LETTER AND COALITION PARTNERS HERE
CLEVELAND, OH, June 23, 2020
In advance of this morning’s Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees Meeting, Clevelanders for Public Transit is holding a rally at 8:15 a.m. outside of RTA’s headquarters, at 1240 W. 6th St., where a letter will be delivered to RTA’s Board of Trustees demanding the immediate cessation of armed fare enforcement and the reallocation of 50% of the transit police budget toward restoring service and reducing fares.
The fight for equitable and accessible transit is inextricably linked to the fight for Black lives and racial equity. CPT stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement to enact tangible change.
Criminalization of fare evasion, combined with armed transit police fare inspections, often results in inequitable outcomes, including unnecessary interactions with armed law enforcement officers and the possibility of a criminal record over a forgotten monthly pass, student ID or the value of a $2.50 fare.
As ridership has dropped, RTA has expanded the transit police force from 25 officers in 1977 to over 125 full-time officers with an annual budget over $14,000,000. As calls for defunding police departments grow, RTA must reallocate these limited resources.
In 2018, CPT’s Fair Fares platform demanded that RTA reallocate transit police funds for equitable safety and cease enforcement of criminal penalties for fare evasion.
Today, CPT is calling on RTA’s CEO India Birdsong and RTA’s Board of Trustees to reallocate 50% of the transit police budget and replace armed fare inspectors with a Civilian Transit Ambassador program to assist riders, check fares and serve as RTA’s public face at stations and onboard. In its current strategic plan, RTA says that “RTA’s fares are now among the highest in the country.” Reallocating funds from transit police would provide fare relief to riders, many of whom are overpaying, and would allow previously cut service to be restored.
CPT is calling on Cleveland City Council to enact legislation to decriminalize fare evasion. CPT is also urging the chamber of commerce, city and county leaders to support transit funding, increase representation of riders on RTA’s board and ensure equitable access to transit for all Cleveland area riders.
Riders are looking to RTA’s Board, staff and local leaders to take action. For too long, resources have been poured into policing our communities instead of our well-being. It’s time to see well-funded transit that supports a better quality of life for all Clevelanders.
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Clevelanders for Public Transit is a riders’ organization that builds power for affordable, accessible and equitable public transit in Northeast Ohio. For more information, visit clefortransit.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.