Urge Cambridge to End ShotSpotter! Vote is Monday!

The Cambridge City Council will vote whether to cease the collection of ShotSpotter recordings at their weekly council meeting this Monday, May 18th at 5:30pm. Whether you live in Cambridge or not, but especially if you do, sign up to speak in favor of this vote. You can speak in person and remotely. Additionally, please email city councilors today (citycouncil@cambridgema.gov) and urge them to stop ShotSpotter in Cambridge. If you need talking points, here are a few you can use:

• Surveillance technology centralizes control and leaves everyone vulnerable. It leaves residents vulnerable to illegal surveillance by vindictive and out of control federal government and it leaves the city vulnerable to legal liability when the technology is used to harm residents;
• Real public safety comes from investing in community resources that keep everyone healthy and reduce violence;
• While Cambridge does not pay for ShotSpotter directly, it still costs the city when police are directed to false or fraudulent reports. More importantly, this technology inflicts actual, documented trauma on our black and brown neighbors, where the devices are disproportionately deployed.

There are posters from the Camberville Stop ShotSpotter Coalition in different languages you can use to spread the word:

• Haitian Creole;
• English;
• Spanish.

Thanks!