Lazarus DESTROYS @PlymouthMNgov City Council over Flock "Safety" Cameras
The short version: A Plymouth, MN resident's blistering city council testimony against Flock Safety ALPRs, captured by creator Lazarus, shows how local public comment periods are becoming a frontline in the fight against mass surveillance.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: Lazarus caught something we see too rarely covered — an ordinary resident standing up at a city council meeting and refusing to let elected officials rubber-stamp a Flock Safety contract without scrutiny. These meetings are usually sparsely attended and heavily stage-managed by vendor sales reps, so when someone shows up prepared to push back, it matters.
Plymouth is one of hundreds of towns across Minnesota and the country where councils are told ALPR networks are just about catching car thieves, with little discussion of the retention periods, data-sharing agreements with federal agencies, or the fact that these cameras log every plate that passes, not just ones tied to warrants. The pattern is familiar: a vendor pitch, a few nodding heads, and a contract signed before the public fully understands what they've approved. Public comment is often the only chokepoint left before that happens.
If you want to know whether a Flock camera has already gone up near you, check our camera map, and if you're ready to show up at your own council meeting like this Plymouth resident did, our take-action page has the tools to help you push back before the cameras — and the contracts — are already locked in.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Lazarus, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.