John Oliver: “How the bleep is it possible for a grandmother to go to jail for traffic tickets?”

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jul 6, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>John Oliver: “How the bleep is it possible for a grandmother to go to jail for traffic tickets?”</h1>
                <h2><p>John Oliver couldn't keep quiet in the wake of revelations that officials in Ferguson, Missouri were balancing the municipal budget by fining black residents. In Sunday's Last Week Tonight, host Oliver explains — and rages against — how committing a minor municipal violation (like not paying a parking</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <figure class="kg-card kg-embed-card"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0UjpmT5noto" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>John Oliver couldn't keep quiet in the wake of revelations that officials in Ferguson, Missouri were balancing the municipal budget by fining black residents. In Sunday's <em>Last Week Tonight,</em> host Oliver explains — and rages against — how committing a minor municipal violation (like not paying a parking ticket) can spiral out of control, leading to fines, penalties, and eventually jail. "Most tickets come with a fine," says Oliver, "and if you've ever lived paycheck to paycheck you know that can be difficult." In fact, it can ruin your life. Also noted: failure to vaccinate your ferret can get you in really big trouble with the law.</p><p>For more of Crosscut's take on John Oliver's <em>Last Week Tonight</em>, check out Rustin Thompson's latest <a href="http://crosscut.com/2015/03/viral-video-john-olivers-march-madness/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">Viral Video</a> piece.</p>
          </article>

John Oliver couldn't keep quiet in the wake of revelations that officials in Ferguson, Missouri were balancing the municipal budget by fining black residents. In Sunday's Last Week Tonight, host Oliver explains — and rages against — how committing a minor municipal violation (like not paying a parking ticket) can spiral out of control, leading to fines, penalties, and eventually jail. "Most tickets come with a fine," says Oliver, "and if you've ever lived paycheck to paycheck you know that can be difficult." In fact, it can ruin your life. Also noted: failure to vaccinate your ferret can get you in really big trouble with the law.

For more of Crosscut's take on John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, check out Rustin Thompson's latest Viral Video piece.

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By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,