Activists interrupt Columbus City Council meeting to demand end to Flock contract
The short version: Columbus residents stormed a city council meeting with nearly 700 signatures demanding the city cut ties with Flock Safety's ALPR network.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: the Safety No Surveillance Coalition didn't wait for a public comment slot to open up on some bureaucrat's schedule. They walked into a Columbus City Council meeting, as captured by WSYX ABC 6, and put nearly 700 signatures on the table demanding the city rip up its Flock contract. That's the kind of pressure that actually gets a council member's attention, because it happens in the room, on camera, with no polite exit.
What's notable is the framing tying this fight to immigration enforcement — Flock's camera network has already been documented feeding data to agencies well outside the narrow "stolen car" pitch cities get during the sales process. Once a city signs on, that data doesn't stay local, and residents rarely get a say in who else gets access down the line. A petition with 700 names is a blunt instrument, but it forces elected officials to answer for a system most of their constituents never voted on.
If you're in Columbus or anywhere else wondering how many of these cameras are already watching your commute, check our camera map. And if you want to turn frustration into the kind of organized pressure that just interrupted a council meeting, our take-action page has the tools to get started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WSYX ABC 6, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.