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| |  | A Home Depot-operated Flock camera in Northeast Minneapolis. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| Minnesotans Don't Seem To Like Flock Very Much | Reports of vandalism against Flock's automated license plate reader cameras – which store the location data of drivers in a database searchable by law enforcement – are rising, and municipalities around the Twin Cities and beyond are cancelling their contracts. | - Quiet quitting: After recently discovering that all eight of their Flock cameras had been cut down and stolen, the city of Winona announced yesterday that they will not be replacing the cameras. The Winona Police Department said in a statement that Flock has been a valuable resource to their law enforcement efforts, but they believe the use of the cameras has "contributed to growing concerns about trust in policing." [Winona Post]
- Ending contracts: In the past week, the cities of West St. Paul and Duluth have both announced that they would be ending their contracts with Flock. Duluth said they would continue to use ALPR cameras, but did not specify what vendor they would be using. [Star Tribune / City of Duluth]
- In Minneapolis: Organizer of the recent viral Minneapolis Lime scooter takeovers Johan Vargas announced that there will be another takeover tomorrow night in "protest against the Flock cameras." The Minneapolis Police Department doesn't use Flock, instead opting for Insight LPR cameras that closely mimic Flock cameras. The University of Minnesota Police department does operate Flock Cameras. [Unicorn Riot]
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| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| Evacuating: In today's meeting, the Minneapolis City Council is considering authorizing stipends to help residents of the Heritage Park housing development escape unhealthy conditions. The current plan would avail $6,500 for one-bedroom units and $12,500 for five-bedroom units to find a new apartment of a comparable size. Council Member Pearll Warren has been critical of the plan as residents of 128 federally-funded public housing units would not be eligible for stipends. [MPR News] |  | Storytelling through food: The Immigrant Kitchen series from BIPOC Foodways Alliance is back after being forced to go on hold during Operation Metro Surge. Immigrant Kitchen highlights immigrants' stories through ticketed, multi-course home cooked meals. The last installment on Aug. 10 featured Cameroonian cuisine inspired by chef LaToya Mbayu's childhood. The next Immigrant Kitchen hasn't been announced yet, but you can stay up to date on the BIPOC Foodways Alliance Substack, and tune in next week when we interview founder Mecca Bos. [MSP Magazine] |  | | Banned: Lime announced that it would be reviewing data from the last scooter takeover and banning anyone that tried to drive scooters on I-35W. A representative from Lime said that "Riding with friends is fine and encouraged," but "Clearly many riders involved in this event broke those rules." [Star Tribune] |  | Go out and get weird: The Minnesota Fringe Festival is happening now until Aug. 16, and we heard from two critics who have been taking in a lot of the shows on today's episode of the podcast. Standout performances so far include "Watership Down," a folk musical adaptation of a classic children's novel, "FAST Death of a Salesman," a play about a man who desperately wants his nephew to care about the play "Death of a Salesman," and "Magical Athlete: Stadium Showdown," a performance that somehow makes playing a wacky boardgame into an exciting spectator sport. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] |
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| | Thursday, Aug. 13 | | Â | Friday, Aug. 14 | | Â | |
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| We only have 22 of our exclusive Twin Cities pennants left, and you can claim yours by signing up to become a City Cast Neighbor today! |  | HUGE thank you to Frances O., Alana A., and Max G. who signed up and got theirs in the past day. Once these go, they're gone – don't miss out! |
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