Get the Flock out: Monterey Park rejects surveillance tech
The short version: Monterey Park residents packed a city council meeting to oppose renewing Flock's ALPR contract, joining a growing wave of Southern California cities reconsidering surveillance deals.
Our Take
Courier California's coverage of Monterey Park captures something we've been tracking closely: the political ground is shifting under Flock Safety's feet. A packed council chamber, residents lining up to speak, a contract deadline forcing the issue before Aug. 30 — this is what accountability looks like when people actually show up. Advocate Alle Mims framed it in stark terms, but the underlying point is simple: cities keep signing these contracts without public input, and now the public is showing up to demand a say.
What's notable here isn't just Monterey Park — it's the pattern. South Pasadena reconsidering, Los Angeles rolling back, and now this. Each city that pauses or kills a Flock contract makes it easier for the next one to do the same. That's how you dismantle a surveillance dragnet that was built city by city, often through closed-door sales pitches and quiet council votes with zero public debate. Momentum matters, and it's finally moving in the right direction.
If you want to see how far this network already spreads before your own city council votes on a renewal, check our camera map. And if Monterey Park's residents just showed you what's possible, our take-action guide has the tools to bring that fight to your own council meeting. Credit to Courier California for putting this story on record — local reporting like this is exactly what keeps these contracts from sliding through unnoticed.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Courier California, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.