Hi neighbors,
I’m still crawling my way out of a very busy month, but I have two favors to ask.
First, please make sure to vote, and if you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll join me in supporting Sam Doyle for City Council. I’ve written before about why I believe in her leadership, but after hearing Sam speak at the No Kings protest in Edmonds last Saturday, I’m more certain than ever that she’s the voice our city needs right now.
Second, please read and share this KING 5 story about a University of Washington Center for Human Rights report that determined federal immigration authorities have been accessing Flock Safety license plate reader systems across Washington, including those in Auburn and Renton, without the cities’ consent or knowledge.
Post it in local Facebook groups (yes, even the one that doesn’t allow “political”
posts 🙄), email it to our City Council, and share it with anyone who still thinks the concerns about Flock are exaggerated. Flock continues to deflect responsibility when federal agencies gain access to local systems, even though it is their platform and their duty to protect the data.
At least one councilmember here has said she has spoken with few community members who oppose the system. If that is true, we need to change it. The evidence now shows that Flock Safety cannot be trusted, and moving forward with their system risks not only the city’s finances but also the safety and trust of our most vulnerable neighbors.
Other cities are pushing back, and it is working. Let’s keep it up.
Until next time,
Dustin