John Oliver on How the ‘Poor Get Hurt the Worst’ by Traffic Tickets

In one of his most impassioned monologues to date, HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” host demands that municipal violations stop being used as a means to feed off our most vulnerable citizens. Oliver provides several clips of cases in which people who were unable to pay minor fines ended up in a cycle of debt and prison they couldn’t possibly hope to get out of, as the state both gained and lost large sums of money off their suffering.

At the end of the segment, the comedian moves toward his characteristic brand of “hashtivism” (or hashtag activism) and calls for governments to #SHUTDOWNTHEFUCKBARRELL that’s ruining people’s lives for minor misdemeanors.

“The Colbert Report” may be over, Jon Stewart may be leaving “The Daily Show,” but as long as Oliver continues to outrage viewers, inspire activism and make us laugh during the process, all hope for late night political comedy may not be lost.

—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata