u/osprey97330

The Albany Public Safety Commission had a meeting about the Flock surveillance cameras on Monday. They voted 5 to 3 to turn the Flock cameras back on. This was despite almost all of the citizens in attendance opposing the use of these cameras.

There is still time to stop this deployment though.
The next meeting is the Albany City Council Meeting, tomorrow Wednesday May 20 at 5:00 pm.
This meeting will be at the River Front Community Center.
The Albany City Council has the ultimate authority to decide whether the Flock cameras stay or go.

This is a public meeting and people who care are invited to attend and voice their opinions.

If you believe in privacy, civil liberties, and oppose the use of mass surveillance programs using ubiquitous license plate reader cameras that send their data to out of state large data centers that use AI, this is your chance to try and stop these cameras.

The City of Albany has installed Flock Surveillance cameras to read license plate numbers of passing cars.

Flock is part of a mass surveillance system that is being installed in many places across the USA. When the massive amounts of Flock data are sent to mega-data centers and combined with AI, this would allow all the governments and government agencies in the USA to track your history and current activities in Real Time.

This is an obvious civil rights and civil liberties issue that many people strongly oppose. Some cities have already turned off and removed their Flock cameras for this reason. Eugene is one of them.

It is not too late to get rid of these Orwellian systems or at least use them with safeguards.
There is a meeting Monday night, May 18 at the Albany Police Department, from 6:00 to 7:00. If you care, this is an open Albany community forum.

The Corvallis May Day March and Rallies were yesterday.

There was art (poster making), music with the Corvallis Singing Resistance, speakers at OSU and the Benton County Courthouse, and many cooperating groups had tables that people could visit.

It was a high energy but peaceful event.
I would estimate the Corvallis crowd size as 500 to 800 with all ages represented but with a lot of young people.

This was part of the worldwide Labor Day. There were 3,500 events planned in the USA by at least 200 different groups.
It is too early to get any estimates of crowd sizes but the photos I saw of rallies in Los Angeles, Washington DC, and New York showed a large turnout.

Thanks to everyone who cared enough about the future of our country to attend the event. Thanks also to all the people who waved at us from their cars passing by.

This is what Democracy looks like.

PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation), Third Act Corvallis, and other groups are organizing local events in support of the May Day Nationwide Day of Collective Action. A coalition of over 200 organizations including Indivisible, are planning over 3000 events around the country.

We understand from previous conversations that many or most people can't take a day off from work or school for their own survival and well being.  People have to prioritize their own existence first, so if that is what is necessary for you, then by all means go to work or school.

It has been steadily getting harder to work and exist in the USA since the 1970s. You can read this Corvallis sub-Reddit and see how people struggle with high rents, precarious jobs, a tough and dismal current job market, and rising prices for everything.
Ask yourself why that is.
Economic inequality has been steadily increasing and now is very high.

There are still things that people can do to protest the current Trump regime and the current economic conditions.
There will be rallies and sidewalk marches at OSU and the Benton County Courthouse on May Day from 12 noon to 3:00.
Be out and be visible with the other people who are acting to make a better world.

The other thing that most people can do is not support the mega-corporations such as Amazon that prop up the current regime by buying from them. Shop locally as much as possible and support the local businesses that make up our community.

Oregon State University

All are welcome - students, workers, alumni, and community members! Bring your own signs!

10:30 Sign making and tea cart on quad
10:50 Speakers
11:35 Leave for the Courthouse

Benton County Courthouse - Sign up on Mobilize.

12:00 Corvallis Singing Resistance 
12:15 Speakers
12:45 March to Chevron and Safeway and back
2:00 Rally concludes

If you don't want to or find it difficult to march, you are welcome to attend the two rallies at the OSU Memorial Union Quad and the courthouse. You can also attend for all three hours or come and go as you please.

https://indivisiblebc.org/

A core principle behind all our events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.