Show Up: Monday, September 21
On August 17, Wilmington packed the chamber and not one resident spoke for Flock. The Board took no vote — it committed to take the program up again. That next meeting is Monday, September 21. The commissioners who fund the contract will be in the room, and public comment is open to any resident. This is the turnout kit: when to be there, how to speak, and what to say.
Mon, Sept 21
the New Hanover County Commissioners’ next regular meeting
4:00 PM
arrive by 3:30 to sign up — comment is the last item, so plan to stay
Historic Courthouse
Room 301, 24 N. Third Street — enter on Princess Street, clear security, third floor
How the September 21 meeting actually works
We confirmed the process with the Clerk to the Board. Read it once and you’ll walk in knowing more than most people in the room.
1 · When & where
Monday, September 21 · meeting starts 4:00 PM. Historic Courthouse, Room 301, 24 N. Third Street. Enter through the Princess Street entrance, clear security screening, then go to the third floor.
2 · Sign up to speak
In person only — there is no online sign-up. The Clerk’s team signs speakers in by 3:30 PM, so arrive by then. There is no cap on speakers: everyone who signs up gets three minutes.
3 · Comment is at the end
Public comment is the last item of the meeting — there’s no fixed time. Plan to stay through the whole agenda so you don’t lose your turn. Bring a printed copy of your remarks for the Clerk.
4 · The rules (Rule 26)
Keep it germane to the Board’s authority. You may criticize the program and how officials have handled it — but no personal insults, threats, or profanity. Address the Board as a whole.
5 · Signs & clothing
Signs are allowed — just keep them from blocking anyone’s view. Clothing with a political message is fine. A room that looks united is part of the message.
6 · Can’t attend? Write.
The county has no general-comment portal (its online form is Planning & Land-Use only). Instead, email all five commissioners and the Clerk and ask to be entered into the record.
What to say — the three that move a vote
Pick one lane and lead with it. Say it in your own words, then sit down. Each links to the record behind it.
1 · The ask
Nobody voted for this, and the Board holds the only lever — stop funding it, the way Macon County did 5–0. How Macon did it →
2 · The secret
The County won’t say who ran 2.98 million searches of our plates. Five other NC agencies produced that field in about 18 days; New Hanover is still redacting. The records timeline →
3 · The proof gap
The Sheriff says it solves crime, but the County has produced no data showing it does — and North Carolina’s protections don’t follow your plate across a state line. All the talking points →
Hand your board the fix — already drafted
“Cancel it” is the ask. But a board moves faster when the instrument is already written. We drafted two, grounded in North Carolina law and built to reach only the government’s own money, property, and contracts. Bring one to the podium, or email it to your board ahead of time.
Who controls this
A county cannot direct the elected Sheriff — but it controls the money, the contracts, and the land. A town can end its program outright. The legal authority, explained →
For the County board
A resolution requiring a recorded public vote before any surveillance technology is bought, funded, or placed on county property. Read the full text →
For a town council
A resolution that ends a municipal plate-reader program and clears the town’s own streets and property. Read the full text →
The September 21 flyers — pick one, print a stack
Four to choose from — a plain turnout flyer, a hard-number version, a tear-off-tab sheet for bulletin boards, and a Spanish edition. Each is one page with a QR code. Print for your street, your break room, your congregation. A full room is the whole message.
You’re not a suspect. So stop being tracked like one.
Add your name, tell your commissioners to cancel the contract, and be in Room 301 on September 21.
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.