#somerville · Elektrine

🎃KNI🔪ER🎃 @knizer@toot.boston

· 1mo ago

Replying to

#BostonWeekend Sat FLUFF #Somerville's 21st #WhatTheFluff #Festival celebrating all things #Fluff, in the place that started the world's best #marshmallow creme, #SomervilleMA - There's Fluff jousting, Fluff Hairdos, Fluff Limbo, Fluff Musical Chairs, live music, parkour, food, midway games, touch-a-truck, pics with Arthur...and #FluffFestival vendors! Including the fedi's own @swachter@toot.boston! I'll be there, stop by! https://toot.boston/@swachter/117289576511648676 #boston

Quoting

@swachter@toot.boston

#shamelessSelfPromotion time! Amongst all the many many things happening this #BostonWeekend, one of them is the #FluffFestival! I’ll be selling bags and stickers on the northwest side of Bow Market (not sure exactly where yet). Fluff has a new layout this year (wooo more space!) so make sure you check out the whole thing! Tons of vendors, live music, games for all ages. Buy a fluffernutter to support SHS Band or try one of the many fluffy treats from local restaurants! What’s at my booth? Retroreflective fluff totes and bike pockets, fanny packs, reflective stickers for bike helmets, and a whole lot of nerdy, nerdy bags. Come say hi! It’s a hella long day and I love meeting pocket friends. FLUFF. GO TO FLUFF UNION SQUARE, SOMERVILLE SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 1-5P https://www.flufffestival.com/ Come early for the best selection, things sell out! Also, Somerville is very aggressive about clearing the street at the end of the festival, so sales end PROMPTLY at 5p. #somervilleMA #handmade #ShopSmall #ShopLocal

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Update on the #Somerville Body Worn Cameras discussion: the Finance Committee has deferred voting on whether to approve budgeting for the cameras. There's a bit of context here: https://csindie.com/body-worn-cameras-for-somerville-police-come-with-an-annual-cost-near-a-half-million-dollars/ (NOTE: the date for the upcoming Legislative Matters meeting is April 21, *not* the date listed in the article.) #MAPol #MAPoli #surveillance #privacy

Body-worn cameras for Somerville police come with an annual cost near a half-million dollars - Cambridge | Somerville Independent

Body-worn cameras for Somerville police come with an annual cost near a half-million dollars - Cambridge | Somerville Independent

With budget cuts looming in every Somerville department, some city councilors argued Tuesday that it wasn’t time for police officers to be equipped with body-worn cameras that will cost around $450,000 annually. The proposal to accept an initial grant that incurs those expenses was tabled by the...

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 6mo ago

Replying to

#Somerville residents, please reach out to your City Councilors before then to let them know that you don't want the police to have body cameras without clear policies protecting transparency and civilian privacy. There's an action toolkit with a template email here: https://cryptpad.fr/doc/#/2/doc/view/w78L6SmN-wdylLDVU0vfus9uUmeu5lRWo+ETzKPtG80/ (EDIT: link updated to correct some minor copyediting errors in the email template) #SomervilleMA #MAPol #surveillance

Encrypted Document

Encrypted Document

CryptPad: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 6mo ago

Replying to

This little video gives some of the background on how body cameras have been previously discussed in #Somerville, including clips illustrating the broad consensus to reject body cameras in 2022 unless there is civilian oversight (which wasn't on the table then and at this point appears still not to be on the table). #SomervilleMA #bodycameras #surveillance

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🎃KNI🔪ER🎃 @knizer@toot.boston

· 1mo ago

Replying to

#BostonWeekend Sun BIKES noon-1p Blessing of the Bikes in #Somerville 149 broadwayhttps://www.instagram.com/p/DdbsklJggIN/ #boston #EastSomeville #SomervilleMA #BikeTooter #bostonBikes

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

Here is a generic-language version of the email I just sent to #Somerville Council about police #bodycameras for the 12pm deadline. https://sandstorm.appux.com/shared/lGlNKXBAaxeBW0-1FUCMihCp9r-K3h6HryHO2vNa4oa If you are delivering public comment tonight, feel free to adapt ideas in there. It's a complicated issue, and I know that concerns differ. #SomervilleMA #MAPol #surveillance #policing #privacy

sandstorm.appux.com

Sandstorm

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

From the perspective of those of us trying to provide current information on this issue to the public, it's incredibly frustrating that *after* the Mayor scheduled this Special Meeting (on very short notice), he then proceeded to update the policy that is being discussed at the special meeting, just two business days before the public is supposed to provide comment (and the Council is supposed to vote). #surveillance #policing #MAPol #SomervilleMA #privacy #Somerville

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

On Friday, the Mayor also released this self-congratulatory video about the body camera policy that he's hoping will be passed on Monday: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbJLZDzRjl3/ (apologies for the Instagram link) It's important to note that despite the fact that Mayor Wilson mentions #oversight in the same breath as body cameras, no civilian oversight body exists in #Somerville at this time, and creating one will likely take years. #SomervilleMA #MAPol #policing

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

Some folks from the #Somerville DSA group put together these slides with tips on how to prepare public comment for the Special Meeting on #bodycameras tomorrow. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xmdAuHLzOOFhmdxZE3nWoZ7SveOiNW2mstvn7xPvr6Q/edit?usp=sharing #SomervilleMA #surveillance #policing #MAPol

docs.google.com

BWC public comment

Preparing Public Comment for BWC hearing, 7/26 Somerville DSA

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

Update: On July 23rd, the Mayor introduced a new version of the STIR and TSSUP for police #bodycameras in #Somerville. The new documents clarify a number of policy points, but don't substantively address the concerns we've highlighted in our toolkit above. #surveillance #policing #MAPol #SomervilleMA #privacy

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 6mo ago

Replying to

Last night the #Somerville Legislative Matters Committee decided to hold the #bodycameras proposal in committee rather than voting to approve it. It's not clear what the next steps will be (stay tuned), but for now they are not moving forward on the proposal for body cameras without civilian oversight. Thank you so much to everyone who wrote or called in to council to express concern about the city's proposal! #MAPol #SomervilleMA #surveillance

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 6mo ago

Replying to

For anyone interested in a more complete update on the #Somerville #bodycameras deliberations, one of my collaborators put together this document summarizing ways to support our organizing: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSLHo6CD3P8L-EGbsr7pqxXf0CaU1A-XhsXV95ES43uPehjHgTpnwEORUTq_H_87V3nw2cEwSTgSMnY/pub #surveillance #SomervilleMA #MAPol #MAPoli

docs.google.com

BWC Update May 2026

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 6mo ago

Replying to

From one of our #Somerville City Councilors: https://jonforsomerville.beehiiv.com/p/on-body-worn-cameras #SomervilleMA #bodycameras #citybudgets

jonforsomerville.beehiiv.com

On Body Worn Cameras

where I stand today

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 4mo ago

Replying to

There's another update on #Somerville #BodyCameras posted here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vS6Lvi0cNzhztgzCyB-Ie28CSLJi1xzYOg6mEpNvXN_SJO4Dhyy2F6ZZJk-lBwd3zCissDDkIUXCu86/pub We finally have the memorandum of understanding on body cameras, and unfortunately it still says the data will be controlled by the police, with civilians only able to access the footage through public records requests. #MAPol #SomervilleMA #surveillance

docs.google.com

BWC Update June 2026

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 4mo ago

Replying to

The memorandum of understanding on body cameras also still gives police the right to review footage before filing reports, which is problematic because: 1) #bodycamera footage offers a distorted low quality view of what happened, 2) human memory is mutable so officers' memories of what happened may change to accommodate what they think they see in the footage, and 3) it gives the opportunity for an officer acting in bad faith to check what misrepresentations they can get away with. #Somerville

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 4mo ago

Replying to

Up until now, Somerville's official 2026 conversations about #bodycamera policy for #Somerville have largely occurred in non-public executive sessions because the negotiations were tied to the police collective bargaining process, and we are now in budget season, which means that there's danger of the process being fast-tracked without properly public deliberation.

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 4mo ago

Replying to

The ad hoc group I've been organizing with has submitted a petition for a public hearing about #Somerville #bodycameras. Per city charter, City Council must hold a public hearing within three months. Please stay tuned! #surveillance #policing

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

Here is the latest update from the Somerville ad hoc group working on the body cameras issue: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRiU1P7QeQoR9Tbx-xr1wzevoa7D5UnRo8kRdEws6CFHLEgDCU7EzDkR60PAv4Rk0FByuZemkjya95c/pub The very short version is that the Mayor is still trying to rush this specific body cameras policy through without proper deliberation and that #Somerville is holding a special meeting on July 27th for public comment *and* a vote. This is *not* the public comment session that was requested by petition. #bodycameras #SomervilleMA #policing #surveillance #privacy #MAPol

docs.google.com

BWC Update July 2026

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Alexandra Thorn @athorn@better.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

We're asking #Somerville residents concerned about the rushed process on body camera policy to attend the special meeting on July 27th to insist on proper deliberation. We have an action toolkit here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQ8FOlm5fCo7-s3jubaDq79i0hHhamUw-o7DTxcLpo4GaBwuGvBNPiZy-d_RB6gvKmh6fSivtO42CZ7/pub #bodycameras #policing #surveillance #privacy #MAPol #Somerville MA

docs.google.com

BWC Public Comment Toolkit for Monday July 27, 2026

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🎃KNI🔪ER🎃 @knizer@toot.boston

· 3mo ago

Replying to

#BostonWeekend Thru Sun - MUSIC - NICE - multi-venue music festival in #DavisSquare #Somerville https://www.niceafest.com #BostonMusic #Boston

NICE, a fest

NICE, a fest

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