News 13 Morning Minute for Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026
The short version: WLOS News 13's Morning Minute flags tonight's Asheville City Council vote on Flock cameras—proof these fights are happening in council chambers nationwide, often with little public notice.
Our Take
Credit to WLOS News 13 for even putting this on the radar. A 30-second morning brief sandwiched between a surveillance vote and a weather forecast is exactly how these decisions tend to slide through—low-key, low-drama, easy to miss if you're not paying attention. Asheville residents deserve more than a teaser; they deserve to know what a 'yes' vote actually means for their daily movements being logged, stored, and potentially shared.
We don't have details yet on what's being proposed—renewal, expansion, or reconsideration of existing Flock infrastructure—and we won't speculate. But the pattern across the country is familiar: a city council agenda item, minimal public debate, and suddenly a network of plate readers is locked in for another contract cycle. These votes matter because once the cameras go up, rolling them back is a much harder fight than stopping them before they start.
If you're in Asheville or anywhere else wondering whether Flock is already watching your street, check our camera map before tonight's vote happens. And if you want to actually show up and have your voice counted at the council meeting, our take-action page has the tools to help you do it.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WLOS News 13, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.