Activists interrupted a Columbus City Council meeting on Monday night to deliver a petition carrying nearly 700 signatures demanding that the city terminate its contract with Flock Safety, abc6onyourside.com reported. The demonstration arrived as public pressure targets the city’s surveillance infrastructure ahead of the vendor contract’s expiration in December.
Signatures Delivered Amid City Council Interruption
Members of the Safety No Surveillance Coalition stood up during the proceedings on Monday to submit their written opposition directly to municipal officials. “We are here to submit our written signatures,” one activist stated during the disruption, emphasizing that the coalition would not be ignored. The protest unfolded shortly after the council recognized city workers and Team Rubicon for their storm response efforts.
Council President Pro Tem Rob Dorans instructed the demonstrators to hand the physical documents over to staff so they could distribute them to council members. The delivery follows a public hearing held earlier in the month where residents and law enforcement officials debated the city’s use of Flock license plate-reading cameras. While activists maintain the cameras represent an invasive dragnet, the Columbus Division of Police has defended the technology as an asset for investigating violent crimes and locating missing or endangered persons.
Immigration Data Audits Fuel Ongoing Controversy
Central to the local debate are concerns over how captured license plate data is shared with federal immigration authorities. A review conducted by the Columbus Division of Police revealed 15,577 searches potentially linked to immigration enforcement operations, according to abc6onyourside.com reporting.
The city has already taken steps to curtail the reach of the surveillance network while deliberations continue. Officials implemented a temporary pause on nationwide Flock data sharing in June, followed by a similar freeze on statewide data sharing in July. With the city’s Flock contract set to expire in December, the council faces decisions regarding the future of automated plate readers on Columbus streets.
