John Washington III Asks Whether Inactive School Buses Are Being Used for Safety or Entrapment
The 2028 presidential candidate says school bus laws exist to protect children, not to raise revenue, and he is calling for federal investigations, where legally authorized, into allegations that retired buses are being run to generate traffic citations.
John Washington III is raising questions about how school bus laws are being enforced, asking whether old, inactive school buses are being used to protect children or to catch drivers out. In a public statement, the 2028 presidential candidate pointed to reports and allegations involving buses that are allegedly no longer used to transport children, yet are being operated in ways that result in traffic citations when their stop signs are activated.
"School bus laws were created to protect our children, NOT to create another revenue stream for city and state governments," John Washington III wrote. He was explicit about where he stands on genuine violations: he said he fully supports protecting children, and that any driver who illegally passes a school bus and endangers children should be held accountable. "But there is a difference between protecting children and deliberately setting people up to receive traffic tickets," he wrote.
If the allegations are true, he argued, the practice crosses a line. "If city governments and police departments are deliberately approving these tactics simply to collect more money from hardworking Americans, THAT IS A SERIOUS ABUSE OF GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY," he wrote. He said that under his administration the allegations would not be ignored: he pledged to push for federal investigations, where legally authorized, into cities, states and law enforcement agencies accused of deliberately manufacturing traffic violations for financial gain, and to pursue accountability through every lawful avenue available, including federal civil rights enforcement where violations of federal law are established.
"No city government, police department, or state official should be above accountability," John Washington III wrote. "THE GOVERNMENT WORKS FOR THE PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE DO NOT EXIST TO FUND THE GOVERNMENT THROUGH DECEPTIVE ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES!" If an inactive school bus is being used primarily to generate citations rather than protect children, he wrote, the public deserves to know who authorized it, why it was authorized, and whether those citations were lawful — and, he added, stronger safeguards are needed.
