To the honorable Menlo Park City Council,
Speaking truth to power takes ethical fortitude and a steely resolve to place, over all other interests, the interests of the people of Menlo Park first. Last month’s City Council meeting (9/26/2023 [Staff Report #23-215-CC]) proved that our council members have the backbone to stand for what’s right by sending a clear and vocal signal to the Flock surveillance sales rep, and Menlo Park’s law enforcement apparatus, that this council seeks to serve not as an administrative rubber stamp for reactionary-based policies and Icarus portending procedures, but instead as a tribune of and for the community. As is often the case, the voices of the vocal minority may reach the heavens, but the pleas of legion begin at the grass roots. Thoughtful and far-sighted business owners, neighbors, friends, family and visitors witnessed a city council that seemed up to taking on this twenty-first century task by choosing to protect the privacy rights for those whom make up the diverse city that I grew up in and whose schools I attended.
If the city rebukes its ideals and convictions in favor of short term victories and pacifications by employing data collection & triangulation tools, what’s next? Is there no end? Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) and other technologies/tools that encroach upon the constitutional rights and civil liberties of free citizens are inherently error-prone and, as many proponents of these technologies often concede, will not stop crime (in large part because these high tech band-aids do not address the underlying issues that stoke desperate motivations).
Before I conclude, I must acknowledge and profusely praise my associates Victor Sin, chair of the Silicon Valley chapter of the ACLU, and Dr. Roxana Marachi, a leader representing the San Jose chapter of the NAACP. Victor, Roxana and a cast of supporters set the standard by applying meticulous research, hounding dedication and unyielding passion to their pursuits of advocacy and change, and I am both honored and humbled to be allowed in their orbits of excellence.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Mid-Pen ACLU should you have any questions about this or any other issues in which a perspective focused on justice, equity and civil liberties should arise. We’re pleased to be, and to have been partners with councils and community members past, present and future.
Very best,
Jason G. Miles, chair
ACLU Mid-Pen (Volunteer Chapter)
