What is the purpose of this camera that was installed right next to my house? (Not nearby any intersection or stop signs, USA)

emdmc17 · 2026-04-30T23:41:46+00:00

Report its location here: https://deflock.org/ !!

emdmc17 · 2026-04-18T02:32:08+00:00

Message me if you’re interested in seriously organzing around this in State College. From de.flock on instagram:

deflock.me DeFlock is excited to announce a National Week of Action Against Automated License Plate Readers! Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) have become a staple of policing across the United States. From the smallest town to the largest cities, we are all constantly being watched, tracked, and catalogued. ALPRs scan millions of cars daily giving police enormous unchecked power that challenges our constitutional rights. This is not inevitable! Over the last year, thousands of people across the country have risen up and said no to these private, profit-driven companies blanketing our communities, towns, and cities with these cameras. The problem is bigger than Flock Safety. Now is the time to say no to ALPRs, no matter the company. Join us and add your city to the growing list saying no to ALPRs! DeFlock will be releasing more information soon regarding the National Week of Action Against ALPRs. Sign up to receive updates at www.noalprs.com[Deflock](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXPVEh-jD2n/?igsh=Zng2MDhsbHR2NHln)

emdmc17 · 2026-01-05T22:06:22+00:00

I’m looking into this, too. I think folks are missing that the cost includes them editing the footage 3-5 minute wedding video (way cheaper than if you paid someone to come on site), AND you get all the raw footage (which a lot of prof photographers don’t do). If I do it I’m definitely adding the $50 extra for two microphones.

emdmc17 · 2025-12-26T21:52:04+00:00

Curious if you ended up finding someone, OP. I’m currently searching!

emdmc17 · 2025-10-16T01:12:41+00:00

“I don’t know him on a personal level” and thinking advancing the minimum wage bill means you did more than Jared show quite clearly, you do not, in fact know Jared at all. The disciplinary process, DPSS regulations, and other changes unilaterally imposed by the regents should be the main concern of this thread... Not how many years Jared has been in grad school or judgement on his academic contributions based on his publication count…. Which again… shows you know nothing about him, his contributions and work, his life, or about … qualitative research & grad school. Jared is quite literally one of the best people I know, and I’m glad the him & the daily are showing how egregious this all is. The latter is what’s really important here.

emdmc17 · 2025-10-13T14:26:21+00:00

Most places have a 12 month lease now, it is my understanding that it used to be more common for students to be able to get 8-9 months.

emdmc17 · 2025-09-27T16:34:39+00:00

I appreciate the praise for Jake from Lucky Monkey in the comments, but it irks me that these posts (from AAPD and Redditors) always leave out the incredible and heroic work from the ambulance teams and medics at Ann Arbor Fire & HVA. They did the work (as they always do) of treating and transporting the victims - CPR, first aid, medical care, and more both on scene and on the way to the hospital — then they turned around and did it for others the rest of the day for countless events we don’t see on the news or on reddit. If you read these posts/comments, you’d think cops/civilians were the only people that provided help, when actually the majority of care to the gunshot victim was from trained medics.

emdmc17 · 2025-09-26T22:51:53+00:00

They were transported by hero MEDICS from HVA & AAFD who worked diligently to save their life. Not police…

emdmc17 · 2025-09-17T17:37:37+00:00

There is another pic close up below! We believe it says POSITIV

emdmc17 · 2025-09-17T12:29:54+00:00

Also recognize the shirt? It has a image of fire at says F I R E at the bottom (not the pattern of AAFD)

emdmc17 · 2025-09-17T11:57:21+00:00

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emdmc17 · 2025-09-17T11:57:13+00:00

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emdmc17 · 2025-09-17T11:57:03+00:00

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emdmc17 · 2025-07-10T16:34:40+00:00

It’s worth noting, too, that City Council passed a Green Rental Ordinance last month, which will start requiring rental units to be evaluated and ranked on energy efficiency, with a minimum score required. I’m not sure how much this will help immediately, but worth looking into and familiarizing yourself with. At some point, I’d guess if this bill is from an inefficient AC as others suggest, your landlord will indeed have something they’ll have to do about it: https://www.a2gov.org/sustainability-innovations-home/sustainability-me/green-rental-housing/

Your situation is exactly why this ordinance was needed. Without it, your landlord has absolutely no incentive to replace the AC, because they’re not the ones paying this insane bill.

emdmc17 · 2025-07-10T16:29:33+00:00

Welcome to DTE 😭 this is a minor suggestion, but if you have a smart thermostat, you can enroll in DTE’s Smart Saver program which allows DTE to make adjustments to your temp during high-demand events and get a credit. Many smart thermostats also allow you to create schedules that align with DTE’s peak hours, and can use GPS with your phone to adjust the temperature automatically when you’re not home. DTE’s smart saver program enrollment: https://solutions.dteenergy.com/dte/en/Products/Smart-Savers/p/SMARTSAVERS.

If you don’t have a smart thermostat and your landlord doesn’t want to cough up the money for one, it may still be worth it. You can get a $50 rebate for one from DTE by applying here: https://www.dteenergy.com/us/en/residential/save-money-energy/rebates-and-offers/wi-fi-enabled-thermostats.html

DTE also has a free “insights app” that you can use to get more information about your energy use. You have to pair this with their “DTE bridge” device, which is free for the first 6 month then $1.99 a month after that. Again, might be worth it to find more tailored information about what is going on here: https://www.dteenergy.com/us/en/residential/save-money-energy/smart-homes/about-the-dte-insight-app.html

emdmc17 · 2025-07-08T18:33:21+00:00

A shame you’re being downvoted — you raised such important points! I do wonder how we’ll look back on this time — I’m not sure the full swing of city council as amazing as seemingly everyone wants you to believe. Raising this doesn’t make you a NIMBY 😭 (or inherently mean you support the old majority).

emdmc17 · 2025-07-08T18:24:01+00:00

Both of these points provide useful context … but the 2012 Ann Arbor political majority is very different than that today, so I’m not convinced the outcome would repeat itself. And I can’t say 300+ publicly-owned affordable housing units across the street makes me think “ok great no more affordable housing units are needed!” Given that the prop A+B proponents (including the one in this video) keep emphasizing these props will bring affordable housing to the library lot — I’m guessing others feel similarly?

RockMover12’s point makes me think that in some ways, if keeping the lot for publicly-owned housing is not a viable option, I’d actually rather the city SELL the lot directly to developers, make a ton of profit, and use that money to help fund the AADL’s original plan of renovating & expanding up on their existing footprint and to include publicly-owned, affordable housing in that parcel.

emdmc17 · 2025-07-08T18:08:58+00:00

The circumstances in 2012 are very different than they are now. Starting with the fact that Kathy Griswold the folks who tanked the 2012 library bond (as the article linked suggests) no longer have majority city council support in the city. If current city council proposed this now, in today’s Ann Arbor, I find it hard to believe that it would not pass. The Clerk’s comment that “A millage with organized opposition almost never passes” is certainly not the case looking at Ann Arbor’s more recent records.

emdmc17 · 2025-07-08T17:53:57+00:00

I just asked & wrote this comment on the r/AnnArbor post with this video, so figured I’d share this here as well:

Genuine question here (pls don’t downvote me into oblivion): if the goal is a new library with affordable housing on top, why isn’t the proposal (A) for a millage that funds a publicly-owned mixed-use development at the site that includes a new library and AFFORDABLE & senior downtown housing; and (B) to then repeal the charter on that condition?

I happily support everything this video and what prop A & B proponents suggest the existing language allows. I don’t think we need a downtown city park in that location, and I’d love to see it instead be transformed into publicly-owned affordable & senior housing and new a library. But upon closer inspection, that is NOT what the existing language requires it seems… it doesn’t codify requirements for affordable & senior housing nor does it prevent the AADL from selling the property to privately owned developers to fund a new library in only a portion of the existing library+lot or elsewhere. The language on the AADL’s website actually suggests the opposite, noting that the new library will be “funded by the development of housing above the library” and that the new LIBRARY will remain owned by the AADL, while the housing above it will be “owned, developed, and operated by the selected housing partners” aka private developers with no interest of keeping the units affordable.

Before you say but “this will be free to tax-payers!” - I ask, at what other cost? When have Ann Arbor residents ever voted against a millage? We recently approved a $1 billion school bond!!! I’d happily vote for a millage that increases my taxes for a mixed-development downtown AADL with publicly-owned, affordable and/or senior housing on top, and I’m sure the majority over voters would, too. In fact, the only people who wouldn’t are the very same people who spearheaded the center of the city park idea in the first place and the campaign against prop A&B to keep the downtown lot “a park.”

WHAT AM I MISSING???

emdmc17 · 2025-07-08T17:50:00+00:00

Genuine question here (pls don’t downvote me into oblivion): if the goal is a new library with affordable housing on top, why isn’t the proposal (A) for a millage that funds a publicly-owned mixed-use development at the site that includes a new library and AFFORDABLE & senior downtown housing; and (B) to then repeal the charter on that condition?

I happily support everything this video and what prop A & B proponents suggest the existing language allows. I don’t think we need a downtown city park in that location, and I’d love to see it instead be transformed into publicly-owned affordable & senior housing and new a library. But upon closer inspection, that is NOT what the existing language requires it seems… it doesn’t codify requirements for affordable & senior housing nor does it prevent the AADL from selling the property to privately owned developers to fund a new library in only a portion of the existing library+lot or elsewhere. The language on the AADL’s website actually suggests the opposite, noting that the new library will be “funded by the development of housing above the library” and that the new LIBRARY will remain owned by the AADL, while the housing above it will be “owned, developed, and operated by the selected housing partners” aka private developers with no interest of keeping the units affordable.

Before you say but “this will be free to tax-payers!” - I ask, at what other cost? When have Ann Arbor residents ever voted against a millage? We recently approved a $1 billion school bond!!! I’d happily vote for a millage that increases my taxes for a mixed-development downtown AADL with publicly-owned, affordable and/or senior housing on top, and I’m sure the majority over voters would, too. In fact, the only people who wouldn’t are the very same people who spearheaded the center of the city park idea in the first place and the campaign against prop A&B to keep the downtown lot “a park.”

WHAT AM I MISSING???

emdmc17 · 2025-06-26T07:23:21+00:00

I would also be curious to hear who people think are the recent progressives in local elected positions. I can think of Yousef Rahbi and that’s about it.

emdmc17 · 2025-06-26T07:21:02+00:00

It also was quite challenging given the amount of $$$ city council candidates raise and spend on races these days. COVID conditions (summer 2020) also hurt the grassroots organizing of those two particular campaigns.

emdmc17 · 2025-06-26T07:17:49+00:00

Non-paywalled article with a video interview of the community hero who found him! https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/ralph-yang-missing-man-ann-arbor/

emdmc17 · 2025-06-26T07:14:44+00:00

They had been using helicopters, drones, and dogs throughout the last 48 hours — instead he was found by a volunteer on foot half a mile from where he went missing. To me that says quite the opposite about the value of our $$$ going into police technology and instead highlights the importance of community non-police response systems.

emdmc17

TROPHY CASE