Flock Safety cameras read license plates. They photograph every car that passes — the plate, the make, the model, even the bumper stickers — and they put it all in a database police can search.

Many people nationwide are against this network of cameras. They’re worried about mass surveillance, privacy infringement and how cops might abuse them.

Many police and some local leaders say the surveillance technology reduces crime and helps solve investigations. So far, the research on that is mixed.

This week, Sterling Heights voted to renew its Flock contract. Inkster is moving forward with an expanded partnership with the security system. 

But other communities are pushing back.

Places like Clawson, St. Clair Shores and Madison Heights have recently canceled their Flock contracts or covered their cameras. Hazel Park could be next. 

Ferndale was one of the first cities in metro Detroit to cancel its Flock contract. Prasad Venugopal was part of that effort. He’s a member of the Ferndale Inclusion Network, the Block Flock national coalition, and he’s working with Hazel Park residents to remove Flock from that suburb. Venugopal spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Tomorrow marks 25 years since the twin towers came down. That day, before people mourned, they were in shock.

What came next reshaped this country. The Patriot Act. Two wars. Here at home, a registration program fingerprinted, photographed and questioned more than 80,000 men and boys largely from Muslim-majority countries. It didn’t produce a single terrorism conviction.

Meanwhile, reported hate crimes against Muslims jumped seventeenfold in one year. They have never returned to where they were.

Almost none of that machinery was ever dismantled. So, we’re wondering how has American politics changed — and how hasn’t it — since September of 2001.

Ali Harb is a freelance journalist based in Washington D.C. He covers American politics, U.S. foreign policy, and politics in the Middle East. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand. Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro