Darth Vader Supports Mass Surveillance And Flock Cameras At A City Council Meeting
The short version: A Darth Vader-costumed speaker's pro-Flock testimony at a city council meeting, reposted by Mirror Mike 5, is a reminder that surveillance boosters show up to these votes—and skeptics need to as well.
Our Take
Credit where it's due: this clip comes from the reposting channel Mirror Mike 5, not an original production, and like most mirrored council footage the full context — which city, which meeting, what exactly preceded or followed the Vader bit — is thin. Take the theatrics for what they are: a costume, a soundbite, a moment of viral comedy. But strip away the mask and the underlying story is dead serious: someone stood up during public comment and argued for more ALPR cameras watching every plate that passes through town, and that's exactly the kind of testimony that ends up in the minutes when a council votes yes.
This is the pattern in city after city. Flock Safety and its supporters show up to public comment ready with talking points about "solving crime," while residents worried about who gets access to months of location data, how long it's retained, and whether ICE or bounty-hunting exes can query it often don't show up at all — or show up outnumbered. A funny costume doesn't change the math: a handful of vocal advocates plus a quiet room equals more cameras bolted to more poles, with little debate about oversight, audits, or public access to the footage.
If you want to know whether your own neighborhood already has this infrastructure, check our camera map before your next council meeting. And if you'd rather not let the next public comment period be a costume party for surveillance boosters, our take-action page has the questions to ask and the steps to push back.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Mirror Mike 5 What's This Find?, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.