Alexandra ThornSep 16, 2025

UPDATE: no decision will be made at Thursday's hearing, but we still need to keep pressure up. You can send email here: [email protected]

Original:
This Thursday (September 18th), the Cambridge, MA Pole and Conduit Commission will be holding a hearing, including discussion of installing 16 Flock cameras in Cambridge: https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/licensecommission/poleandconduit/Agendas/2025/091825pcagenda.pdf

https://www.cambridgema.gov/citycalendar/view.aspx?guid=bf72f16602b543479e88b82f4847487f

#MaPoli #MaPol #privacy #Flock #surveillance #USPol

Show threadAlexandra ThornSep 16, 2025

If you live in #CambridgeMA and are able to testify at Thursday's hearing (9am September 18th) against having your vehicle movements tracked, without warrant (with data likely passed along to the U.S. government) that would be extremely helpful.

You can sign up to give public comment here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/citycouncil/publiccommentsignupform

WELCOME TO PUBLIC COMMENT - THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING

WELCOME TO PUBLIC COMMENT - THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING

Show threadAlexandra ThornSep 17, 2025
Update on this: the Cambridge City Manager has notified Digital Fourth that there will be no decisions made about the Flock cameras at Thursday's meeting. This buys us a bit more time, and is likely in response to community resistance, but the city is still on track to install the cameras eventually, so we still need to keep the pressure up. If you were planning to provide testimony, please email City Council instead: [email protected]
Show threadJess FSep 17, 2025
@athorn It's probably useful to attend to get all the information about the project so far, so that can be cited in testimony! Without citing concrete project plans, testimony could focus on just why Flock is bad generally, which won't likely be very effective. Officials want to know why it will be bad in this specific project and for Cambridge specifically.
Show threadAlexandra ThornSep 19, 2025

@j_feral

We now have a list from Cambridge of the exact locations that are proposed for the new Flock cameras. See next ~3 toots...

(1/3)

P#001 Massachusetts Ave@ Brookford St (solar power, city light pole)
P#002 Rindge Ave @ Alewife Brook Pkwy (solar power, city traffic signal)
P#003 Cambridge St @ Hampshire St (solar power, city light pole)
F#004 Main St @ Osborn St WB (AC power, city light pole)
...

Show threadAlexandra ThornSep 19, 2025
(list continued from above)
...
P#005 Cardinal Medeiros Ave@ Binney St (AC power, city light pole)
P#006 Galileo Galilei Way@ Broadway (solar power, city light pole)
P#007 Memorial Dr@ JFK St (solar power, city light pole)
P#008 Rindge Ave @ Pemberton St (solar power, city light pole)
P#009 Massachusetts Ave @ Memorial Dr (AC power, city light pole)
P#010 Windsor St@ Hampshire St (solar power, city light pole)
...
Show threadAlexandra ThornSep 19, 2025

(list continued from above)
...
P#011 Cambridge St@ N First St (AC power, city light pole)
P#012 Third St @ Gore St (solar power, surface wall mount)
P#013 Hampshire St@ Cambridge St (solar power, city light pole)
P#014 Main St @ Broadway (solar power, city light pole)
P#015 Binney St@ Third St (AC power, city light pole)
P#016 Galileo Galilei Way@ Broadway (solar power, city light pole)

[end of list]

Show threadAlexandra ThornSep 19, 2025

If you, or someone you know, lives near one of these locations, and *especially* if you (or they) are the owner of a property abutting (<300 feet from) one of these, it will be particularly valuable to tell City Council you don't want to see these Flock cameras to go in.

The usual time of Poles and Conduits hearings is the third Thursday of the month, and the plan is to discuss the cameras in October.

#MAPoli #CambridgeMA #USPol #MAPol #privacy

Show threadAlexandra ThornSep 21, 2025
Edited to action item: the definition of abutment is evidently <300 feet. I had originally put <150 feet.
Show threadAlexandra ThornOct 17

Cambridge City Council will be discussing the question of whether to install Flock ALPR cameras at their 5:30pm meeting on Monday October 20, 2025.

https://cambridgema.iqm2.com/citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=4331&Inline=True

You can sign up to testify here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/CityCouncil/PublicCommentSignUpForm.

Please cite "City Manager's Agenda #7" as the item to speak on.

#CambridgeMA #privacy #Flock #surveillance #MAPol #MAPoli

Show threadAlexandra ThornOct 17

Also, Cambridge's Pole and Conduit Commission meets at 9am on Thursday, October 23. They have not yet published an agenda, but there is a good chance that they will be discussing the installation of 16 #Flock #ALPR cameras at that meeting.

You can leave messages for the Chief of the Pole and Conduit Commission here:
https://www.cambridgema.gov/boardsandcommissionsdirectory/Contacts/poleandconduitcommission

The Zoom registration for the meeting is here:
https://cambridgema.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9bcCBMdvSEu_V3VXTo86Xg#/registration

#MAPol #MAPoli #privacy #surveillance

Pole and Conduit Commission - City of Cambridge, Massachusetts

Contact for the Pole and Conduit Commission

Show threadAlexandra ThornOct 21

Motion passed by Cambridge City Council tonight!

The question of what to do about the contract with Flock has been referred to the Public Safety committee, and there will be a hearing after the committee has decided how to proceed.

Good work to everyone who expressed concerns to #CambrdigeMA

#Flock #surveillance #privacy

Show threadAlexandra Thorn
The work isn't finished, but this is a legitimate reason to celebrate!
Oct 21 at 1:40amWeb
Show threadAlexandra ThornOct 21
The item is still on the Pole and Conduit Commission agenda, so we'll have to see whether that item gets deferred, or if they move forward with the discussion about specific poles.
Show threadAlexandra ThornOct 22

Minor update: A staffer from the Cambridge, MA Pole and Conduit Commission says they cannot edit their published agenda, but that they expect that if City Council is really suspending use that the vote would be deferred.

*There's no guarantee that this is what they'll do*, so it's still valuable if people can attend the first half hour of tomorrow's meeting to confirm that they vote is indeed deferred, and if not to speak out against the installation.

#CambridgeMA #Flock #MApol #MAPoli

Show threadAlexandra ThornOct 22

If the Pole and Conduit Commission votes on the installation of #Flock cameras despite the city council's suspension ALPR use, it will be especially important to hear objections from people who live or own property within a 300 meter distance of the proposed poles. See map below.

#CambridgeMA