Flock Camera Concerns Continue to Go Unanswered
This was at the city council meeting last week.
If you feel similarly about these AI surveillance cameras, then I cannot overstate how important it is that you sign up to speak at these meetings.
So far, only three people have spoken out against Flock: him, myself, and another guy. As far as the city is concerned, the residents who don't want these cameras installed form a very small minority and as such, they haven't bothered to address any of the problems that these cameras bring to our community. Whether it be the privacy concerns, inevitable abuse & misuse of data, security vulnerabilities, subversion of the 4th amendment, AI errors leading to wrongful arrests, etc. None of these issues have been addressed in a meaningful manner by the city. And on top of that, they're planning to seek an additional $370,452 for these cameras, which will be discussed at the next meeting (see agenda item 7.4 on pages 173-175).
It's not too late for this to change.
If enough of us can show up to these meetings and use our voices, we might be able to build the momentum needed to get these contracts cancelled. If other cities could do it, I don't see why we can't too.
I myself plan on showing up to next week's meeting (4/23) with some friends. If you want to sign up to speak, the form and protocol are linked down below. And if you're worried about not knowing what to say or not being particularly eloquent, don't be. Even just going up to state your name and that you don't approve of these cameras being installed will be enough to get the council's attention, as long as enough of us show up.
https://www.cstx.gov/your-government/city-council/speak-before-council/