August 17. Room 301. Your three minutes.
The five commissioners who fund the county’s Flock surveillance network meet Monday, August 17 at 4:00 PM. Their own contract lets them cancel at any time, without cause. What they need is a room that makes the choice unavoidable. Five speakers is a comment period. Twenty-five is a moment the Board can’t ignore.
Arrive 3:30 PM to sign up to speak
Historic Courthouse, Room 301
24 N. Third Street, Wilmington
Can’t be in the room? Watch live on NHCTV.com, the county’s YouTube channel, or Spectrum 13. Backup date: Monday, September 21.
However much you can give
Show up · 30 min
Be a face in the room. You don’t have to say a word — numbers are the message. Arrive by 3:30 PM, Room 301.
Speak · 3 min
Sign up when you arrive, tell one story or one fact, and sit down. RSVP below and we’ll match you with a talking point and help you practice.
Written comment · 5 min
Can’t attend? Submit a written comment through the county’s form by 8:00 AM on August 17. It reaches every commissioner and enters the permanent record. County comment form →
Tell us you’re coming
Add your email — that’s your RSVP. We’ll send a reminder the week before and again the day before, so you don’t miss it. Nothing else.
Want to speak, or can you drive neighbors (or need a ride)? Just reply to any email we send — we’ll help you prepare and sort out rides. No tracking, never sold or shared.
Claim a lane
Ten sincere people saying the same thing counts as one comment said ten times. Ten people each carrying one lane is a case — built personal → evidence → law → money → ask. Pick a lane, say your name and neighborhood, give one number and one line, and sit down. Full how-to-speak guide →
| # | Lane | The one number | The line to land |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The opener — nobody voted for this | 1,700+ petition signers | “The Sheriff signed it. You fund it. Nobody asked us — so we’re here to answer anyway.” (Deliver the petition here.) |
| 2 | The contract itself | ¶29 | “Your own contract says you may terminate at any time, without cause. The only thing keeping these cameras up is you.” |
| 3 | The undisclosed video cameras | 8 Condor PTZ cameras | “We found live-video cameras in the order form. When was the public going to be told?” |
| 4 | The audit that hides everything | 2.98 million searches | “Almost three million searches of our movements — and the county redacted every name. That’s not oversight. That’s a blindfold.” |
| 5 | The abuse record | 18 officers, caught by victims | “Every one of those audit logs recorded the stalking faithfully — and flagged none of it. What would catch it here?” |
| 6 | The reach of the network | 83,345 cameras in one search | “A Texas deputy searched a nationwide network for a woman over an abortion. Our cameras answer to searches like that one.” |
| 7 | The security failures | 60 exposed cameras | “Flock’s own cameras were found livestreaming to the open internet with no password — sixty of them, one aimed at a playground.” |
| 8 | The law | N.C.G.S. § 20-183.32 | “State law says this data shall not be sold for any purpose. The contract gives a private company a perpetual license to it. Someone should explain how both are true.” |
| 9 | The conservative case | ~$100,000 a year | “I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a taxpayer who believes government this powerful needs a warrant — and a receipt.” |
| 10 | The closer — the ask | Two dates: Aug 17, Sept 21 | “Terminate under paragraph 29. If you won’t, adopt the safeguards on the memo in front of you — and we’ll be back on September 21 either way.” |
Rules: one lane per speaker; no anger at staff or deputies — the target is a contract, not people; end on your lane’s sentence. Time yourself — 3 minutes is about 390 words. Bring a printed copy and hand it to the Clerk, so your words enter the record even if the timer runs out.
One meeting can end it
The Board can terminate the contract under paragraph 29 — at any time, without cause. Show up August 17, and if they don’t act, we’re back on September 21. Bring one person. That’s the whole strategy.
You’re not a suspect. So stop being tracked like one.
It takes one minute. Add your name, then tell your county commissioners to cancel the Flock contract.