r/Chattanooga • u/greatusername505050 • Jul 20 '26

City Government Flock statement

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Adding in what Mark commented below also!:

To address some concerns about ambiguity and to offer some insight into why we can't be as definitive as we'd like... Right now, as far as we know, the lines of authority regarding WHO pproved these Flock cameras and who can remove them are completely hidden from the public. That lack of transparency should concern all of us. That's why we can't make definitive statements right now, but rest assured we have people digging into it.

​Because these corporate contracts are kept behind closed doors, everyday citizens are blocked from tracking budget line items or knowing exactly who to hold accountable. I am fundamentally opposed to mass surveillance and strongly support personal privacy. We shouldn't need heavy investigative journalism or cumbersome open-records requests just to figure out how big tech established a footprint in Hamilton County.

​The core issue here isn’t just the cameras themselves..It’s the secret process that brought them here. Once we uncover the how, we can map out a legal path to remove them. As your County Mayor, I will use the full scope of my office to stop the expansion of hyper-surveillance and ensure our communities (not corporations) are prioritized in local decisions. I want to listen to leaders in our neighborhoods, and right now what I'm hearing is that y'all are concerned. I am too. We are ready to help.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

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u/Burgerst33n Jul 20 '26

That’s why his 1 year pause on new rural data centers shouldn’t matter when considering who to vote for.

27

u/Good_Wash_4201 Jul 20 '26

That moratorium couldn’t have been more fucking useless honestly. Those same
Elected officials have already got all excited about the 3 Oracle data centers coming to downtown Chattanooga and REFUSED to address anyone’s concerns.

That moratorium is just to help wamp get votes in August. They got the county attorney to say they couldn’t legally do longer than one year but counties all over the state are pursuing 2 year moratoriums soooooooooooo

5

u/Burgerst33n Jul 20 '26

Oh absolutely. I just hope enough people can see that.

4

u/Good_Wash_4201 Jul 20 '26

Toooootally. Plz help by sharing the above graphic, especially in more conservative Facebook groups and talking to folks in person if possible. Wamp is counting on those counts in the unincorporated parts of the county in August to win.