The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1932-10-19
BY ERSKINE JOHNSON
NEA Service Writer

Los Angeles.-After appealing a.
50 pafking fine all the way to the
United states supreme court, Bruce
.B. Johnson. Los Angeles "MahatA
ma Gandhi of the traffic ticket"
figures he's won a victory which
may mean lot to every autoist In
the land.
While Gandhi is fighting for the
rights of a great class IN india
Johnson is crusading for the rights
of q great class in America-the
millions of folks who drive auto
mobiles. And, like Gandhi, john
son is going to Jail for them.
The issue he raised was whether
a imotorist could be sent to jail II
unable to pay his fine. Johnson,
unemployed and claiming inaplllty
to pay the ST. commended this prac-
tice was a discrimination against
the por and in favor OF the Ficn.
Therefore, he declared, 1t vloiat-
ed the constitutions guarantee OF
equal treatment for all
ST lost the decision the other day
when the supreme court refused
to review my case" says Johnson,
"but I believe I've won a victory
of another kind. My case may
awaken public interest in. q deep
social problem and lead to a gen.
eral movement for giving the poor
equal rights with the rich.
standing alone, this case may
seem frivolous. The penalty i'm
posed, lis trifiing, but the issue at
stake Is one of human rights
The heated and unique dispute
over the. So traffic fine, which cost
the state of California $500 and
popped I'D in court here nine times
before it finally reached the ma
Non's highest tribunal In Washing
ton, started inconspicuously one
day last summer.
Throughout all the long pro-
Eceedings. Johnson, a jobless labor
er, acted as his own attorney. Hav-
ing nothing else to occupy MS
time, he studied a set of law books
that his father had given him long
before.
Brought before Los Angeles
traffic Judge for parking his auto
overtime in q restricted zone,
johnson was found guilty and Or
dered to pay a So fine or spend one
day in the city Jail. !.
But the Judge didn't know that
johnson had sat up half the nignt
before reading the musty law
books. So when johnson filed oral
notice ,of appeal. the Judge was
surprised. Appeals were uncom-
mon in such cases.
IT haven't got the So and I don't
intend to 70 to JAIL" johnson told
the court. Furthermore, a law
permitting substitution of a fine for
q jail sentence Is discriminatory,
in that a rich man may evade jail
while a poor man must serve.
In support Of his claim that he
couldn't pay the fine. johnson filed
a pauper's AFFIDAVIT in which he
said he had earned only $500 In
the past two years. Moreover, ne
said, the auto he was driving be-
,longed to q friend. (.
And, SO the case started upward
toward the highest court in the
land, johnson acting as his own
attorney and fighting every inch
of the way.
Now that the supreme court has
refused to review his case. johnson
has accepted the, verdictS and Is
prepared to spend his day In jail.
But" says Johnson. "it's not
the 81 that I fought for; could
have raked upfhat much money
somewhere. It's the principle OF
the thing that concerns me. and
I'll go to jail rather than. pay #. y
eff It Is bribery to pay q police
man for refraining from doing
what he should do, who Will say
that 1t Is not bribing the state to
pay q fine to avoid a jail SEN
fanea Pr