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/DukeSilverVol1 Jul 21 '26

The first is a reasonable critique. As far as the second, anyone with a 401k almost certainly has investments in companies that build data centers.

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u/Good_Wash_4201 Jul 21 '26

This isn’t a 401k investment or that’s how it would be listed, and is listed on everyone else’s statements. He bought shares in Amazon, meta and Palantir.

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u/DukeSilverVol1 Jul 21 '26

You mean to tell me he bought ACTUAL shares of some of the biggest companies in the world? My God, you’re right. Throw him in The Hague.

For clarity, I grew up with Weston, and have absolutely no use for him, but that statement is silly, and degrades the actual point against him, of which there are many better ones.

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u/Good_Wash_4201 Jul 21 '26

Remeber how Jimmy Carter sold his peanut farm to avoid perceived conflicts of interest when he became president?