Activists with the Safety Not Surveillance Coalition disrupted Columbus City Council's meeting on Aug. 24 to demand the council end the city's use of Flock Safety license plate reading cameras.
A group of young activists with the People's Justice Project came forward and presented the council with copies of a petition with more than 600 signatures. Council President Pro Tempore Rob Dorans accepted the documents and passed them to his colleagues at the petitioners' request that they be distributed.
The disruption occurred as City Council was conducting business and not during the designated public comment period, and the council weighs whether to remove the cameras or keep them and implement restrictions. The city's contract with Flock Safety is up for
renewal in December, but opponents say the cameras need to come down urgently and council should not wait for when the contract is up in December.
Ava Borromeo, a Clintonville resident and activist with the People's Justice Project, said they will not be ignored. Their petition calls for Columbus to dismantle its cameras and not replace them with any other company's license-plate reading cameras.
"For three months, we have engaged with our community who have supported this initiative," said Joey McQueen, a leader with the People's Justice Project, who lives in Reynoldsburg. "Today, we return to city hall in unity to present the over 600 signatures of our neighbors who agree that safety is not surveillance."
Flock license plate cameras have become a hot-button topic locally and nationally as opponents decry the constant surveillance and reports that data has been accessed for immigration enforcement as well as stalking or other personal uses by some police officers. These automated cameras have proliferated across the country in recent years and capture license plates and other details about vehicles that pass.
The Safety Not Surveillance Coalition held a protest outside of City Hall on Aug. 10 before a hearing council held on Flock cameras. At that hearing, Columbus police leaders advocated for keeping the cameras, which they say help solve homicides and other crimes, find missing persons and other critical purposes. Police say they have endeavored to put reasonable restrictions in place in recent months.
Councilmembers Lourdes Barroso de Padilla told The Dispatch that she supports bringing the cameras down and would prefer to act before December. She said she has some work to do to convince other councilmembers. At least one other member, Melissa Green, has said publicly she wants the cameras to come down now.
Barroso de Padilla told The Dispatch that activists should lobby Mayor Andrew Ginther to turn off the cameras.
"While folks are coming to council to do something, it is very easy for Mayor Ginther to make one phone call and decide to remove the cameras, similar to how he asked them to pause some sharing," Barroso de Padilla said. "It is very easy for him to do that."
Councilmember Emmanuel Remy, chair of the council's public safety committee, has said he believes Flock cameras have value as a public safety tool, but council has to make sure it is used responsibly.
Remy told The Dispatch he's working with the council's legislative research office to look at the city's options.
"Everything's on the table," Remy said. "We've asked for certain limiting legislation that would define, from a codification standpoint, what is gonna happen if somebody misuses this type of technology. We also want to define the parameters of who can utilize this type of surveillance."
Remy said he doesn't want to come off as a defender of Flock, but his district has benefitted from a crime drop.
Council tables vote on another police technology contract
Later in the meeting, City Council referred an ordinance back to committee after an activist raised concerns about council authorizing a contract renewal with Pen-Link Ltd. for about $140,000. The company provides a software investigative tool to Columbus police that compiles data, including from cell phones and social media.
Testifying before council, Kat Finneran, an activist with 614 ICE Watch, asked if Flock data is shared with Pen-Link and what law enforcement agencies have access to that data.
Barroso de Padilla said she wouldn't feel comfortable voting on the contract after Public Safety Deputy Director Michael Halloran said he'd need to confirm if the data is shared with any other law enforcement.
Remy then asked for the contract to be referred back to committee for a vote at a future meeting.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Activists disrupt Columbus City Council meeting over Flock cameras
