23 AUG 2026.
There’s a fast-growing national protest movement against Flock Safety cameras, the automated license-plate readers used by police and some private communities to record vehicle movements.
The central complaint is privacy. Critics argue that Flock is creating a searchable record of where ordinary people drive, even when they are suspected of no crime. Recent reporting has also documented cases in which officers were accused of misusing the system to track spouses, girlfriends or ex-partners. Flock has responded by announcing tighter safeguards, including mandatory case numbers for searches, automated review for suspicious activity and shorter data-retention periods. (The Washington Post)
The protest movement has become surprisingly bipartisan. Civil-liberties groups, populists, conservatives, progressives and privacy activists have all objected to the idea of a privately operated nationwide surveillance network. Axios describes Flock cameras as a major new focus of anti-surveillance activism across the political spectrum. (Axios)
And these aren’t merely online complaints. On August 19, protesters demonstrated outside the Hamilton, Ohio city building while nearby Oxford voted 6–1 to terminate its Flock contract. (WVXU) In Houston, protests have accompanied an escalating backlash in which several cameras have also been vandalized or cut down. (Houston Chronicle)
That distinction matters: peaceful protest, petitions, city-council pressure and demands for warrants or tighter oversight are lawful political activity. Destroying or disabling cameras can be criminal vandalism.
The larger question being raised is simple: Should the government be able to create a detailed database of your movements merely because you drove on a public road? Police argue Flock cameras help locate stolen vehicles, missing persons and criminal suspects. Critics respond that a useful investigative tool can still become mass surveillance when virtually everyone is continuously recorded.
That debate is rapidly moving from the fringe into mainstream politics. More than 50 jurisdictions reportedly ended relationships with Flock during 2026, while protests and organized campaigns continue around the country. (The Guardian)
If you meant the specific Flock-camera protest happening now, tell me the city and I’ll identify exactly what happened, who organized it and what they’re demanding.
Amid intense backlash, people are vandalizing Flock surveillance cameras
In dozens of states around the country, people are vandalizing, blocking and taking down Flock cameras. A surge in such activity underscores the growing resistance to this police surveillance technology.
=====================
University of Colorado Boulder’s trumpet quintet delivers a spectacular performance of Jason Dovel’s Centrifuge, the flashy, technically demanding showpiece that earned the ensemble first place at the 2025 National Trumpet Competition. Written to evoke the spinning motion and precision of a centrifuge, the piece combines rapid-fire passages, razor-sharp ensemble playing, dramatic contrasts and a lyrical flugelhorn section. The result is exhilarating: five musicians operating almost as one instrument, balancing virtuosity, precision, musicality and sheer competitive fire.
University of Colorado Boulder – 1st Place | Dovel, Centrifuge – COLLEGE SMALL ENSEMBLE DIVISION
The University of Colorado Boulder trumpet ensemble performs Jason Dovel’s Centrifuge, earning 1st Place in THE ANDY LOTT BRASS COLLEGE SMALL ENSEMBLE DIVISION Performed on trumpets and flugelhorns, this chamber music performance showcases precise intonation, seamless instrument switching mid-performance, and the technical demands of contemporary trumpet music at the highest level of collegiate competition.
