Community Dinner: Safety, Trust & Privacy

Join us for a community dinner to talk about what safety really means in our town!

Recently, the town entered into a contract with Flock Safety, a company that sells automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. After residents spoke out at a town meeting, the Board of Commissioners listened and voted to cancel that contract. That decision was an important moment because it showed that when our community participates and speaks from our values, our voices are heard.

Now, the company is asking the town to reconsider.

Before any new decisions are made, let's come together as neighbors to share a meal, talk openly, and reaffirm what kind of community we want to be.

Why this conversation matters

Hillsborough's Comprehensive Sustainability Plan talks about fairness, inclusion, and trust. It calls for government that listens, and for public spaces where everyone feels welcome. Those aren't abstract goals - they are promises we make to one another.

Surveillance cameras - even ones that claim to be "smart," "secure," or "AI-powered" - move us in the opposite direction. They shift our town from a place that trusts its people to a place that monitors them.

Even if the technology worked perfectly and every police officer used it responsibly, the problem remains: when data about our daily movements is collected, stored, and shared, we no longer control it. History shows that this kind of power is easily abused, especially when federal agencies or administrations have priorities different from our own. Once the data exists, we can't decide who it protects and who it harms.

Right now, across the country, we're seeing how surveillance tools can be turned against immigrants, activists, journalists, families. But we're also seeing communities come together to reject these tools!

What we lose when we trade privacy for "security"

Surveillance doesn't just watch "bad guys." It watches everyone.

It can make people afraid to attend a protest, visit a clinic, or even drive across town, especially those who already live under greater scrutiny.

True safety comes from connection, care, and accountability, not from constant monitoring.

Regardless of whether this particular system is ever adopted, there will always be another one being sold to us. Just next door in Durham, residents are pushing back against Peregrine, a startup from a former Palantir executive that helps police combine surveillance data into one system, expanding the reach of monitoring even further.

We build real safety when neighbors know one another, when public spaces are open and welcoming, and when local government earns trust by acting transparently and fairly.

Let’s talk about the kind of town we want to be

We invite everyone, supporters and skeptics alike, to join us. Bring a dish, bring your questions, bring your hopes for Hillsborough.