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DeFlockILM

Wilmington, NC, US

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About us

DeFlockILM — Stop Mass Surveillance in New Hanover County

We're a nonpartisan group of New Hanover County neighbors who believe residents deserve a say before our government blankets our roads with AI surveillance cameras.

New Hanover County runs a network of Flock automated license-plate-reader (ALPR) cameras that photograph and log nearly every car that passes — and it was never put to a public vote. The county's own records show its network has been searched more than 2.9 million times, with the searching agencies hidden, and most of those searches came from outside North Carolina.

This group is where residents learn what these systems actually do and take action together. Here you'll find:

Plain-English education sessions — no tech background needed.
Turnout for County Commissioners meetings, where the decisions actually get made.
Help writing public-records requests and preparing 3-minute public comments.
Updates on what's happening locally and across North Carolina.

We are pro-Constitution, not anti-police. Public safety shouldn't require the suspicionless tracking of innocent people — and that's a concern people across the political spectrum share. Left, right, or none of the above, you're welcome here.

You don't have to be an activist or an expert. If you drive in New Hanover County, this affects you. Join us, come to an event, and help reclaim a little privacy.

Read the records and sign the petition at deflockilm.org.

Upcoming events

1

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Protest Flock, Speak to NHC Commissioners
Mon, Aug 17 · 3:00 PM EDT
Old Historic Courthouse, 24 North 3rd Street, Room 301, Wilmington, NC, US
New Hanover County is running an AI surveillance network that photographs and logs nearly every car on our roads — and no one ever voted for it.
On Monday, August 17, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meets, and the commissioners who fund these cameras will be in the room. This is our chance to be heard.
Here's what's on the record:

The Sheriff's Office holds a ~$219,000 contract with Flock Safety — never put to a public vote.

The County's own audit shows its camera network was searched 2,980,082 times, with the name of every searching agency blacked out.

When we aggregated records from agencies across the state, nearly 9 in 10 searches came from outside North Carolina.

This is a national surveillance network, paid for by New Hanover taxpayers, with almost no oversight. And this isn't left or right — it's pro-Constitution, not anti-police. Public safety shouldn't require the suspicionless tracking of innocent people, and neighbors from across the political spectrum are showing up to say so.
You don't have to be an expert or a public speaker. You can:

Simply come and be counted in the room.

Sign up to speak for up to 3 minutes — pick one fact or one story. We'll help you prepare a talking point and practice.

Bring a neighbor.

🗓️ Monday, August 17, 2026 — [START TIME — confirm]
📍 [New Hanover County Historic Courthouse, 24 N. 3rd Street, Room 301, Wilmington — confirm]
🎤 Public comment is open.
New to this? Start at deflockilm.org — read the records, grab a talking point, and add your name to the petition (2,492 neighbors and counting).
A free nation does not track innocent citizens. Come help us say so.
1 attendee

Past events

1

ALPR 101: What's Watching New Hanover — and What You Can Do (Free Online)
Tue, Aug 11 · 7:00 PM EDT
Location not specified yet
3 attendees

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