More than 70 people gathered in The Motley Coffeehouse on Feb. 27 to attend 5C Critical Mass’s Teach-In “Watching the Watchers,” which discussed the use of Claremont’s License Plate Reading Cameras in the wake of increased surveillance and immigration crackdowns.
5C Critical Mass, a leftist organization focusing on the intersection of science and social justice on campus, hosted the event to inform students on the impact of local surveillance efforts.
Co-founders Lina McRoberts PO ’27 and Claudio Castillo PO ’26, along with members Maya Chow PZ ’26 and Mattie Johnson PZ ’26, presented on what type of license-plate reading cameras the Claremont Police Department (CPD) uses.
The speakers emphasized how surveillance methods like these are used by law enforcement agencies across the country for immigration enforcement, and brought attention to the city’s lack of transparency around this practice to its citizens.
McRoberts said the idea for an anti-surveillance campaign arose among a group of students prior to Critical Mass’s formation last summer, and came to life when they had their first meeting this year. She said she was surprised at the event’s large turnout.
“I think part of the reason for why it was so popular is because something like surveillance is not just something that affects STEM students,” McRoberts said in an interview with TSL. “I think maybe the fact that we’re like a student organization catered towards STEM students can seem daunting. But the fact is that no matter who you are, you are being surveilled.”
According to the presenters, Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems, like the ones CPD employ, use cameras and software to automatically capture, analyze and store vehicle license plate information. They said that ALPRs have previously been used to surveil protestors, activists and people getting abortions, as well as for racial profiling. At the teach-in, Chow brought up an example of law enforcement using ALPRs to track a woman driving to get an abortion.
The speakers pointed out that CPD could use ALPRs, which were introduced to the city in 2011, during any criminal investigation or routine patrol, and does not need reasonable suspicion or probable cause to do so, according to the CPD website.
According to the Critical Mass speakers, Claremont has at least 29 cameras as of 2019, with 10 along Foothill Boulevard.
“It’s not some far off idea, surveillance is happening in Claremont,” Lina McRoberts PZ ’27 said.
“It’s not some far off idea, surveillance is happening in Claremont,” McRoberts said. “If you have a car, you’re being surveilled. If you borrow your friend’s car, you’re being surveilled. And not only that, but your data is being sent to these data centers, which are operated by Palantir, ICE, Black Rock, Vanguard and police departments who can track you.”
The city’s website states that the data ALPRs collects may be shared with other law enforcement agencies confidentially, but would not be shared or open to the public for review.
Friday’s speakers also noted that Claremont does not have a live transparency portal — which allows residents to access information about what their city’s ALPRs are being used for — for its cameras.
According to the Critical Mass presenters, Upland, Montclair and Ontario all have transparency portals through their partnership with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that has frequently been associated with cooperating with ICE, despite many local laws prohibiting the use of ALPRs for immigration enforcement. According to the presenters, Claremont uses cameras from Vigilant Solutions, a corporation similar to Flock.
Talk attendee Sam Fischer PZ ’26 said he thought Critical Mass’s STEM-focused perspective helped explain the technology behind the cameras conducting surveillance in Claremont.
“I just really appreciated that because I think as students, it’s a great way to use our ability here on campus and our resources,” Fischer said.
In their presentation, Critical Mass leaders pointed to movements in Richmond, Cambridge and Santa Cruz, as well as student movements at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo that have successfully launched a petition to remove Flock Cameras from campus. McRoberts, however, said she hopes to make a city-wide change.
“The goal is to get ALPR cameras out of Claremont via student opposition to Claremont City Council,” McRoberts said. “What that would look like, in a more campaign-oriented way, is definitely having a petition to show, you know, students oppose what you are doing.”
Fischer said he was excited to hear that other groups had been previously successful.
“I am very concerned, but I think I also am feeling really hopeful that there is work being done to counter this, and I’m really excited to hear more about [Critical Mass’s] campaign,” Fischer said. “I really believe that they can do it.”
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