A Primary in a Week, Google Changes Course, and a Street for Two Sisters | The Roanoke Weekly
The short version: A Roanoke city council primary is a week away, and whoever wins will have real say over whether Flock cameras keep expanding with no public oversight.
Our Take
The Roanoke Weekly's roundup is local news, not a surveillance exposé, but it's a good reminder of something we harp on constantly: city council races are where ALPR policy actually gets decided. Contracts with Flock Safety, data-sharing agreements, budget line items for "public safety technology" — none of that gets a statewide referendum. It gets a quiet vote from five or seven people on a dais, often after a slide deck with zero crime-reduction data behind it.
If you live in Roanoke, or any city holding a primary this summer, this is the moment to ask candidates directly where they stand on license plate readers: Do they support an ordinance requiring public notice before new cameras go up? Will they demand audit logs showing who accessed plate data and why? Silence or a shrug is itself an answer.
Credit to The Roanoke Weekly for keeping local coverage alive — it's exactly the kind of reporting that lets residents track who's accountable before the cameras multiply. Check our camera map to see what's already deployed near you, and use our take-action guide to push your own council before the next contract gets rubber-stamped.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of The Roanoke Weekly, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.