Clawson opposes Flock cameras in Roanoke
Democratic candidate for Roanoke City Council
“So I'm very clearly opposed to Flock and Raven as companies in our city because we cannot surveil our way to safety, right? We need to be investing in community-based solutions like we've been doing with things like Fed Up and these organizations, social networks uh, that are changing the way young people react and respond to violence.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Roanoke Rambler transcript of a community forum at Melrose Library where Roanoke City Council candidates answered audience questions, including one on Flock cameras and the Raven gunshot detection program.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
At a Roanoke Rambler community forum at Melrose Library, an audience member asked City Council candidates whether they would work to permanently remove the company behind the city's Flock cameras and Raven gunshot detection program. The Rambler reported that the council had voted on July 6 to repeal the gunshot-detection program.
After the quotation
Clawson said violence is a social problem and that the city should fund violence interrupters and work directly with repeat offenders. He closed by saying the city has to invest in people, not technology.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Asked whether candidates would remove the company from Roanoke, Clawson said he is clearly opposed to Flock and Raven as companies in the city and that the city cannot surveil its way to safety. That is a rejection of the system in Roanoke, not a call for limits, so Condemned fits.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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