by Jacob Richards
On Thursday, a Grand Junction man, concerned about the encroaching mass surveillance state, took action.
Armed with a lawn chair, jug of ice water, and long pole with a cardboard square duct tapped to the top, Robert Kurtz, 62, sat at Gunnison Ave. entrance to Lincoln Park and blocked the view of one of the growing networks of local FLOCK cameras.
“I used to work in high-tech, and I understand the ramifications of this technology in free-societies,” said Krutz. “I see the correlation between these mass surveillance systems and the explosion of data centers, its all being built to surveil Americans.”
Kurtz, like a growing portion of the American populations, view these camera systems as clear violations of the 4th and 14th amendments of the constitution.
Kurtz said he had received positive responses from people driving by, “Lot’s of thumbs ups, smiles and laughter,” said Krutz. “Nobody has stopped to argue for more surveillance.”
Kurtz said if the police were to show up and ask him to stop blocking the view of their spy camera he had no plan of quitting. “I am peacefully exercising my first amendment right, defending our 4th and 14th amendment rights. I don’t plan to quit.”
Lincoln Park in Grand Junction has become ‘Surveillance Park,’ with two basic ‘Raven’ model Flock Cameras on the Gunnison Ave and 12th Street entrances into the park. Additionally there is a mobile trailer with three Flock ‘Condor’ cameras. The Condor cameras have AI controlled Pan Zoom Tilt capabilities that track more than license plates, they track people.
While conducting my interview, the ‘Condor’ cameras were focusing and zooming in on this reporter and Kurtz while we spoke.
In recent weeks, at least seven Flock cameras have been destroyed in Mesa County in at least three different incidents. Flock cameras have also been destroyed recently in Durango, Avon, and Boulder.
When asked what he was hoping to accomplish, Kurtz quoted Grand Junction’s very own Dalton Trumbo:
“When one man says, “No, I won’t.” Rome begins to fear.”
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