Simpsonville resident announces planned lawsuit over Flock cameras and council meeting removals

Event: September 28, 2026 · First reported: September 28, 2026 · 2 sources

Matthew Detmer held a protest in Simpsonville, South Carolina on Monday against the city's Flock automated license plate reader cameras, citing privacy concerns, police militarization, human error and the use of artificial intelligence. He said he was removed from two Simpsonville City Council meetings after attempting to speak, and announced plans to sue the city in district court. The City of Simpsonville said Detmer lacks standing to address the Citizen Comments portion under its ordinances, disputed his account of one removal, and said it has not been served with any lawsuit.

Why this matters

Disputes over who may speak at public meetings shape whether residents can contest surveillance decisions through local government channels, and the outcome could set an example for other cities facing ALPR opposition.

Key facts

Detmer protested Flock cameras in Simpsonville on Monday and said he intends to sue the city in district court.
He said he was removed from two city council meetings after being taken off the speaking roster.
The city said Detmer does not have standing under its Code of Ordinances to speak during Citizen Comments, and said he left one meeting on his own.
The city said a person in a disguise who appeared to be Detmer was escorted out by the sergeant-at-arms at another meeting when he approached the dais, according to the mayor.
As of publication, the city said it had not been served with a lawsuit; no court has ruled on any of the claims.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

‘Stop spying on us’: Man announces lawsuit against Simpsonville during Flock camera protest (FOX Carolina News, September 28, 2026)
‘Stop spying on us’: Man announces lawsuit against Simpsonville during Flock camera protest (Newsbreak, September 29, 2026)

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About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated September 29, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.