The president of the Evansville City Council says he appreciates citizens coming before the council with their concerns. WNIN’s John Gibson has more on Monday night’s meeting:
Councilors got an earful from residents calling for the defunding of Flock cameras that read license plates for police.
Jessica Reed admitted the cameras can be helpful:
"But the question isn't whether surveillance can ever be useful. The question is how much surveillance of innocent people are we willing to normalize because it might just be useful at times."
Nicole Chandler had other suggestions for public safety:
"Safety comes from investments in social safety nets, community programs, and reducing poverty."
Damien Bondi suggested support for the cameras is driven by fear:
"And I think that a surveillance system — if we're looking at ourselves culturally and allegorically — has almost always been the last gamble and desperate bid of scared people."
Council President Ben Trockman expressed his appreciation:
"Your consistent input has I would say for all of us lead to continued conversations with stakeholders. And so don't feel as though we leave these meetings and ignore the words you are sharing."
The council is expected to vote on the 2027 city budget October 5th.
