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Residents press council on Flock Safety cameras, homelessness and Blackhawk statue restoration
Summary
During public comment, residents raised concerns about Flock Safety ALPR cameras and data security, domestic violence and homelessness, and whether the city should restore or sell a fallen Blackhawk statue without Native‑nation consent.
Multiple residents used the Feb. 24 public‑comment period to press the council on surveillance, public‑safety and cultural issues.
Atticus Garrison, a Rock Island resident and librarian, urged the city to reevaluate its contract with Flock Safety Corporation and automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras. Citing recent reporting and an alleged 2024 data breach, Garrison said vendor practices that link plate scans to commercial people‑lookup databases and permit broad data sharing raise privacy and security concerns. He requested a transparent public discussion of alternatives to vendor‑controlled surveillance and asked the council to plan for how to end the contract rather than renew it.
Other public commenters urged more attention to homelessness and domestic violence response in low‑income areas. Hannah Farrell described gaps in victim support and urged the police and city to pay closer attention to harassment and domestic‑violence incidents in her district during the summer months.
The fate of the Blackhawk/Indian statue drew lengthy comment. Janet Moline and Larry Lockwood, representing Native community perspectives, said commercial displays and re‑erecting the figure without Sauk Nation approval are inappropriate and that restoration funds would be better spent protecting historic Saukonoc sites. Rudy Vallejo, who identified himself as Kickapoo Scribe of Kansas, asked the council to donate the statue to him for restoration and proposed locations and fundraising approaches. The council did not take a final vote on the statue during the meeting.
Separately, the wetlands task force (chair Nina Struce) publicly supported a memorandum of agreement with Augustana College to conduct ecological surveys for the Southwest Rock Island wetlands and urged council adoption (the MOA was approved later in the meeting). The task force said scientific surveys and stakeholder engagement will inform management planning ahead of a January 2027 Land and Water Reserve registration.
No direct city action on Flock Safety or the statue occurred at the Feb. 24 meeting; the MOA for the wetlands received council approval.
