Window in Review
This week The Window of Discussion, on Banner & Backbone Media and Centered America, focused on a rare but powerful bright spot — citizens are winning against mass surveillance!
Nick Paro and Melissa Corrigan, she/her opened the show by highlighting two significant victories — Flagstaff, Arizona and Mountlake Terrace, Washington both voted to cancel their contracts with Flock Safety, a company that deploys automated license plate readers and surveillance infrastructure across cities, HOAs, and private partnerships. These decisions and policy shifts did not happen in a vacuum; they happened because residents are showing up, speaking at city council meetings, and sharing information from other communities that are already pushing back.
A key moment of celebration came from learning that one of Melissa’s own readers personally testified before the Flagstaff city council, citing investigative reporting and real-world abuse concerns. That testimony helped tip the scale toward cancellation. The message is clear: informed citizens, acting locally, can still win.
From there, the conversation broadened into why Flock Safety — and systems like it — are such a danger to our communities. Contrary to the common claim that these tools only target criminals, Nick and Melissa emphasized that the technology tracks everyone, all the time.
Routes to work,
school drop-offs,
social patterns, and
even links to social media accounts can be compiled into detailed behavioral profiles.
This surveillance doesn’t require suspicion, warrants, or consent — it is already being abused by law enforcement officers, HOAs, and private individuals. This issue not left vs. right — it is the fundamental question of privacy, consent, and constitutional values.
If we are presumed innocent, why are they being monitored as suspects?
If vehicles are private property, why is their movement treated as public data?
Throughout the entire discussion, Nick and Melissa keep bringing us back to a core concept: privacy is not about hiding wrongdoing — it’s about maintaining freedom.
The heart of the conversation focused on how we can discuss these issues during the holidays, particularly when you live in a politically divided family. Rather than leading with partisan language, Nick and Melissa suggested grounding conversations in shared values — protecting children, preventing stalking and abuse, limiting government overreach, and opposing corporate data collection. Asking simple, personal questions can open space for reflection without immediate defensiveness. Two questions you can use to frame your discussion with:
Do you want your child’s daily routine tracked?
Would you be comfortable if a different political party controlled this system?
Melissa shared how her own home serves as a safe space, especially for people rejected by their families, while Nick discussed the importance of setting firm boundaries rooted in ethics and respect. Both emphasized that influence doesn’t require shouting or arguing; it starts with modeling values, holding lines consistently, and creating environments where dignity is non-negotiable.
The wins and expanding discussion show that surveillance isn’t inevitable. Information spreads, public opinion shifts, and local governments respond when residents demand accountability. Nick and Melissa also float slogan ideas and wordsmithing to help create physical and verbal banners we can begin to use:
“Don’t Tread on Me” as “Don’t Surveil on Me” — to make privacy a visible, values-driven movement once again.
RISE — “Reclaiming Integrity, Service, & Ethics”
The takeaway from this week’s episode was unmistakable: this is an information war — it’s a war that people are ready to, and actively going on offense for. When everyday Americans understand what mass surveillance actually does and how the systems are being abused, they overwhelmingly reject it — when everyday Americans organize locally, they are forcing it to stop.
Actions You Can Take
Call your public servants on important issues:
Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and feed America:
Sign the Move-On Petitions:
Investigate Presidential Use of the Autopen for Pardons and Executive Actions
A Petition to End the Shutdown and Restore Representation: Remove Speaker Johnson
Service members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:
Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76
Disclaimer: We are in no way a danger to ourselves or others. We are in no way having any ideations of self harm or harming others. We are in no way promoting or suggesting any type of violent action towards these tech companies, the cities and law enforcement agencies that contract with them, or any agency of local, state, or federal law enforcement. We insist our readers maintain a nonviolent position of resistance.
Thank you Neurodivergent Hodgepodge, Cat, Soso's World, Cris, Noble Blend, and many others for tuning into my live video with Evan Fields, Melissa Corrigan, she/her, Nick Paro, and Centered America! Join me for my next live video in the app.
Banner & Backbone Authors’ Notes
You being here shows that you have already begun the process of unfurling new Banners and forging new Backbones for a more progressive America. Please, take the time to become a paid, or free, subscriber to the Network — supporting us all and ensuring everyone in America can hear these messages.
The America we strive for — it is one where we willingly remember the teachings of our past, humbly learn from our failings, proudly celebrate our successes, and boldly lead the way into a future for all people.
