By Shay Lelonek / News Director

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Americans for Democracy (AFD) is inviting St. Cloud residents to participate in a “week of action and education around Flock cameras” during the week of August 17-21.

Events will take place starting Monday, August 17, with an educational film and discussion at 6 p.m. at Arroy Thai & Filipino Restaurant in St. Cloud.

Other events include a presentation, protest sign-making, a “flock scavenger hunt,” and a protest. The protest will start from the St. Cloud Public Library parking lot at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 21.

Communities across Minnesota have faced backlash over the license plate readers (LPRs). At the beginning of August, all eight cameras in Winona were sawed off and stolen.

In St. Cloud, an 18-year-old Sauk Rapids resident allegedly sawed off a metal pole with a license plate reader camera mounted on it on June 24. Bradley Allen Smith is facing a felony charge, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Due to the backlash against Flock Cameras, the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office has ended its use of the license plate reader cameras and is discontinuing its service agreement with Flock Safety. The announcement was made on Thursday, August 13, in a statement by Commander Ben Zawacki.

The sheriff’s office was using grant money to use the cameras on a trial basis, according to Zawacki. At the end of the trial period, the county would have had to use taxpayer dollars to continue using the cameras.

As of Wednesday, August 12, all cameras in Sherburne County were disabled, and the process of shutting off power to the cameras and removing them began.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s website, the St. Cloud Police Department and Sartell Police Department have operational License Plate Reader cameras. For a full list of law enforcement offices that use LPRs, visit the Department of Public Safety’s website.