"Stop Cutting Down Flock Cameras!" (Mass Surveillance is Good)

Our Take

AwakenWithJP built a channel on deadpan satire, and this one's no different — playing the part of a surveillance cheerleader scolding people for cutting down Flock cameras. The joke only lands because the underlying fact is real: across the country, people have started disabling, spray-painting, and yes, physically removing these license plate readers from utility poles. That's not a punchline we made up. It's a documented backlash against a surveillance network most residents never voted for and most cities never put to a public hearing.

The humor cuts both ways. It's funny because it's absurd to say mass surveillance is "good," but it's also a little uncomfortable because plenty of police departments and Flock's own marketing genuinely talk this way — treating blanket vehicle tracking as an unquestionable public safety good, full stop. No mention of retention periods, data sharing with ICE or out-of-state agencies, or what happens when the system misidentifies a car and sends an armed response to the wrong driveway. Those are the parts that don't make it into the sales pitch, satirical or otherwise.

If this video got you wondering whether there's a Flock camera on your own street, check our camera map to see what's been documented near you, and head to our take-action page if you want to push back the legal way — through city council meetings and public records requests, not bolt cutters.