'Block Flock': Green Bay, Wisconsin critics push for regulations of license plate reader cameras

Our Take

Credit to WLUK-TV FOX 11 for capturing something we see happening in city after city: ordinary residents deciding that a rented camera network bolted to their street corners deserves actual scrutiny. Lisa Sanderfoot and the Green Bay 'de-Flock' group are doing this the right way — building a coalition, pushing for legislative change, and explicitly rejecting vandalism. That distinction matters. The goal isn't to destroy city property; it's to force elected officials to answer basic questions about who sees this data, how long it's kept, and who it gets shared with.

The video also notes that some critics elsewhere have taken to physically blocking camera views with signs — a blunt, improvised form of protest that speaks to how little formal recourse residents often have. When the only tools available are holding up a poster or showing up to a kitchen-table meeting, that's a sign the official channels for oversight and consent are broken or nonexistent. Green Bay's police department was asked for comment, and how they respond will say a lot about whether this becomes a transparent public debate or another rubber-stamped renewal.

If you're in Wisconsin or anywhere else wondering whether Flock has already landed in your neighborhood, check our camera map to see what's been documented near you, and if you want to push back the way Green Bay is — through policy, not property damage — our take-action page has the tools to get started.