Anti-Flock activist Anthony Ralphs had no idea that video of his guerrilla theater would go viral. But there he is, all over the internet, at a San Diego city committee meeting, dressed as Darth Vader and endorsing controversial technology — automated license plate readers.
He was in the crowd Aug. 19 at the Public Safety Committee meeting. Deep into the public comment segment, the clerk called to the podium the next name on the list of speakers — and yes, she called up “Darth Vader.” The Sith lord’s instantly recognizable breath can be heard as the man in black approaches.
“The emperor is a fan of Flock,” he told the committee, “and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium.”
The satire caught eyeballs — and laughs — at a time of growing national pushback against mounted license plate readers, which log the plates of every vehicle in their view, then store the information in a searchable database. Flock Safety, which supplies the readers to most of the region’s law enforcement agencies, has been the main target of the backlash.
Ralphs, 37, brought the Vader act to the meeting as part of “National Week of Action” events, an anti-ALPR push promoted by the activist group DeFlock. Ralphs, who said he helped found DeFlock San Diego, praised organizations such as the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology San Diego, or TRUST SD, Coalition, for their work promoting the week of action and in the fight against the readers.
Ralphs says his civic engagement surrounding the readers started last year. He grew dejected in December when he saw a split San Diego City Council vote to keep the cameras, even after scores of speakers spent hours before the panel decrying the tech. It lit a fire in him, he said, and he started going to council meetings weekly, then adding on commission and subcommittee meetings.
Ralphs, who has studied acting, had an epiphany: Humor. Satire. Guerrilla theater.
Ralphs studied Vader’s gestures and listened to the tone of his voice. But he had no script. “That wasn’t rehearsed,” Ralphs said. “All of that was improvised.”
Hours after the meeting, the Boulevard resident realized his stunt was blowing up. People were sharing the clip. Reporters wanted to talk to him. And there was so much feedback, he said, “just an absolute tidal wave, a tsunami of love from people all over the country.” One teacher said she would show the clip to her students to underscore the power of civic participation.
So what’s next? Stay tuned, Ralphs said. “The Rebel Alliance has a few tricks rolled up its sleeve.”