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 \u2014 automated license plate readers.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 and yes, she called up \u201cDarth Vader.\u201d The Sith lord\u2019s instantly recognizable breath can be heard as the man in black approaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe emperor is a fan of Flock,\u201d he told the committee, \u201cand 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The satire caught eyeballs \u2014 and laughs \u2014 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\u2019s law enforcement agencies, has been the main target of the backlash.<\/p>\n
Ralphs, 37, brought the Vader act to the meeting as part of \u201cNational Week of Action\u201d 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.<\/p>\n