Sandy Boyce

It is always a great pleasure when we celebrate “in-house” heroes. This week, we salute Solari subscriber and Arizona resident Sandy Boyce.

As the ringleader of a successful campaign that persuaded the Sedona City Council to cancel its contract with the Orwellian-named tech company Flock Safety, Sandy tapped into a national zeitgeist that earned her and Sedona coverage from NBC News last November. A few months after the Sedona victory, the Flagstaff City Council followed suit, and now angry and determined citizens all over the country—many of them inspired by Sandy’s example and the snowballing media coverage—are equally intent on “de-Flocking” their cities and towns.

Sandy is convinced that pushing back against the metastasizing Flock surveillance—which operates, egregiously, thanks to taxpayer financing awarded by officials without taxpayer consent—is an ideal project for local citizens to take on. She considers it doable for three reasons:

1. As she discovered in Sedona, there is broad support across the political spectrum, “from libertarians to liberals,” for stopping the intrusive data collection. Although reasons for opposition may vary, there is “overwhelming public sentiment” against the camera systems.
2. Citizens have direct access to the elected officials—for example, city council members or sheriffs—who are quietly signing contracts with Flock. In Sandy’s case, the fact that a member of her city council was her neighbor was a further help in getting the ball rolling.
3. The indicators of success—getting the contracts canceled and the cameras taken down—are specific and measurable.

With her infectious smile and can-do attitude, Sandy suggests that local activism does not have to be intimidating or tedious:

“I really enjoy it—it’s fun for me! And we’re getting results, which is even better!”

Not content to rest on her laurels, Sandy is now tracking related bills in the Arizona legislature at her website and encourages Arizonans to make their voices heard. Beyond Arizona, she is also graciously willing to advise anyone interested in “de-Flocking” their municipality. And for those living in the vicinity of Sedona, consider attending the victory celebration on January 31! (Questions or comments can be submitted at her website.)

Join the anti-Flock battle! Sandy’s website and the Solari links below provide many helpful resources.