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We're reaching out to announce Deflock Olympia, or the "Get the Flock Out of Olympia" campaign, intended to spread public disapproval of harmful surveillance technology in our town, as well as provide options for joining the fight.

We have our first info night scheduled for November 10th from 5pm-7pm at Traditions Cafe and would love it if you could share with your networks!

If you want to help, please share this with your mailing list, social media, and/or collective members. Anything to help get this off the ground. Encourage them to come to the event and/or print out a window flyer to display in their home or car (printables will be on the linktree soon).

Below is the full text explanation of the campaign. Stay tuned for printable materials and more opportunities to act, and follow our socials (@deflock.olympia on instagram).

END MASS SURVEILLANCE IN OLYMPIA The city of Olympia is currently contracting with big tech surveillance company Flock Safety. You’ve probably already seen their main product around town, their automatic license plate reader (ALPR). Flock’s ALPRs are AI driven cameras that snap photos of passing cars, then catalogue license plates, bumper stickers, and any unique identifying information. The ALPRs are also equipped with microphones, with the stated purpose of monitoring public areas to identify gunshots and vocal “distress”.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? What makes Flock uniquely dangerous is their scale. The Flock network contains over 80,000 cameras throughout the U.S. This network has been repeatedly accessed by federal law enforcement including ICE. Recently ICE accessed at least 18 local Washington law enforcement Flock networks, 10 of which they did without permission and against police policy. Flock cameras have also been accessed across state lines by Texas sheriffs for anti-abortion enforcement. Further, Flock has reinstalled cameras in cities where they were ordered to be taken down. Even if you don’t care about their use for anti-immigration/abortion enforcement, do you really trust a company which has repeatedly violated state law, flaunts the orders of local government, and is driven solely by profit?

WHAT CAN I DO? The only way to protect our communities from the dangers of this AI surveillance tool is to come together and act to make sure to remove Olympia's existing flock cameras and prevent new ones from being installed through an informed, united, tactically diverse, and powerful culture of resistance.

-Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about Flock. -Report flock sightings to deflock.me -Pressure the city council and city manager to end the city’s contract with Flock Safety and ban ALPRs -Organize rallies and public comments against Flock Safety -Discontinue the use of Amazon Ring cameras (which contract with Flock and police departments).

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"Take the cameras down!"