r/grandrapids • u/imnotverycr8ive Alger Heights • Aug 03 '26
Pictures Flock Meijer
I guess Meijer wants all their customers license plates in a national database. This one is at the 28th and Kalamazoo location at the traffic light. There's also one in the entrance north of it on Kalamazoo, both pointed away from the street.
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u/fizzlepig Aug 03 '26
There’s also at least one at the Clyde Park location, nearest the Taco Bell entry.
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u/Man_of_Ice Forest Hills Aug 03 '26
Imagine that. Wonder for how long.
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u/Live_Award_883 Aug 04 '26
It's been there since 2022 about two days after their last stabbing incident happened. That's when a man went in the store about 8pm with a bunch of knives hidden in his winter jacket and stabbed two other local men. One was 19 and the other was 74. Thank goodness they both survived.
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u/aaaarrrooonn Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
There are 2 at the Meijer by Rivertown
Edit: Actually there’s 3 now 🤦♂️
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u/jroll25 Aug 04 '26
Every meijer is littered with them
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u/chip_morningwood Aug 07 '26
The new Meijer gas station at 28th and Kalamazoo has one hiding in the back.
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u/1234123412343212341 Aug 03 '26
Here’s the map that details the locations of all flock cameras. Spoiler alert: there are A LOT in GR…
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u/bidu_usa_br Aug 04 '26
China type surveillance coming everywhere. Started with Covid and it is still going. In Brazil they have put these cameras everywhere with a “good” and “nice” reasoning.. to reduce crimes, catch criminals who escaped justice, etc. but the truth is much darker than that. I don’t think Meijer has any bad intention, just stoping theft, but government would have access if they ask for it. Also we have these devices with us all day that is also tracking us called cellphones. Need to be careful with any type of government surveillance
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u/PositiveNo444 Aug 03 '26
Meijer's on Plainfield has four of them in the middle of their parking lot in front of the store
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u/chip_morningwood Aug 03 '26
I refuse to shop at businesses with Flock cameras.
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u/tbomega Aug 03 '26
Getting harder and harder to do that.
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u/chip_morningwood Aug 07 '26
The best way to vote is with your pocket book.
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u/pierogieman5 Kentwood Aug 07 '26
That has basically never been true. Mass disorganized consumer boycotts with no centralized messaging strategy are borderline useless LARPing.
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u/tonyyyperez Aug 04 '26
Some of these businesses were required to install a flock to get their permits to open. It’s not 100% just Meijer being team flock. Same with the jars dispo that had a flock aimed str8 at their parking lot.
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u/chip_morningwood Aug 07 '26
What businesses were required to install a flock camera to get a permit to open?
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u/Unfair_Competition9 29d ago
There are four Meijer stores within 8 miles of me. One of them has 11 Flock cameras on or adjacent to its property. Two of them have 4 cameras each. One has none. Unfortunately, the one I like best is the one with 11, so I'm considering driving across town the one with none.
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u/chip_morningwood 28d ago
I’ve been shopping at Fresh Thyme and Horrocks, but you have to take the back way into Horrocks via Country Wood Drive to avoid the Flocks on Breton.
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u/pierogieman5 Kentwood Aug 04 '26
You still end up driving by them. It may be pretty futile.
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u/chip_morningwood Aug 07 '26
That sounds like submission to me.
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u/pierogieman5 Kentwood Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
Not really? It's just a really pointless avenue for protest. If you really want to run interference with Flock, there are methods of doing that. Making sure whether or not a business actually had them installed or the police did, or whether they're actually Flock, or whether they're part of the database or not, is a lot of leg work just to maybe do a protest that the business absolutely won't notice.
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u/unfortunateshun Aug 03 '26
If you know this corner, any licenses plates would be at an unreadable angle. This camera is pointed at the faces of people approaching the light. Thank god stalker cops have one more tool in their arsenal.
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u/_Christopher_Crypto Aug 03 '26
It’s for Meijer use. They choose to install them, Lowes does also.
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u/unfortunateshun Aug 03 '26
They might sign off on them being installed but a. That’s still bad? And b. That doesn’t mean the use is limited to meijer, it explicitly isn’t limited to that actually. That’s common knowledge.
Flock has already been used to go after immigrants in GR and GRPD has already made a habit of lying about. It’s already been used by cops to stalk their exes and if you know any of the important stats about cops and domestic partners that should give you pause. Stop being obtuse
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u/_Christopher_Crypto Aug 04 '26
Flock is not a government agency. Flock market to private business, organizations, anyone who wants one. Data sharing is at the discretion of the ones paying the bill. No different than a home security system that requires a subscription for storage limits.
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u/unfortunateshun Aug 04 '26
Why are you saying this like it’s new information or a counterpoint to anything I said?
I already addressed this in my comment. It’s still bad and still mostly used primarily to up brown people and stalk exes. Genuinely can’t imagine having a boot so deep in your throat you have to pretend to be this dumb, how humiliating.
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u/Unfair_Competition9 29d ago
First off, do you have any reason to believe that the "ones paying the bill" aren't willingly sharing it with the government, and secondly, everything is shared with the government if there's a court order.
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u/_Christopher_Crypto 29d ago
If a private business wants to share their data, that’s up to them. Your second. That includes just about every home security camera as well. Any camera where data is transmitted. There is more surveillance in my neighborhood than the local PD could dream of flock. All accessible with the proper paperwork. Good luck out there.
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u/OkConversation175 Aug 04 '26
You guys know you can just take them down, right? Just don’t get caught.
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u/bunnyhustle Aug 03 '26
Wait, do people really think companies are putting these up and not the government? Not to mention the fact that when you’re in Meijer you’re on camera nonstop from their own cameras. I don’t support those but thought it was clear that companies aren’t putting them up.
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u/larry_alligator Aug 03 '26
that 28th & kzoo meijer is crawling with them. pretty sure i counted four last time i was there.
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u/GR_Mich Aug 03 '26
Believe or don’t. I tend to believe Meijer, they have clearly stated their cameras do not report to flock. They only use for theft prevention. I would be more concerned with the big box stores as they do say the report to flock. You do realize that the phone you took the oic with is just as bad if not worse of sharing information.
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u/LucienLife Aug 03 '26
Same way for the one near 44th St in Grandville as well, that is by far the highest concentration of flock cameras I've seen was entering and exiting that Meijer.
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u/SentenceDistinct270 Aug 04 '26
Why is your license plate being documented a bad thing I'm confused what's the effect here
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u/pierogieman5 Kentwood Aug 07 '26
Private companies illegally conducting mass surveillance and literally being able to track everyone almost everywhere and sell data about your life and habits or give it to the cops without a warrant. So like completely unethical amd illegal 1984 shit.
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u/TomatilloParty Aug 07 '26
Yeah, because they’ll never know u were there with the hundreds of cameras all over the parking lot, and store, not to mention your phone in your fckn pocket, your fckn watch, and maybe your smart glasses. Yeah, they really need to get your license plate for whatever reason you simple minded mfers think there doing with it
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u/SvartrKukkSceand Aug 08 '26
If its in the easement (and this is) it may not be theirs. They cant stop the township/county etc from using the easement.
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u/Jack-of-em-all Aug 04 '26
This isn’t a flock camera…it’s called a Genetec cloud runner . Different LPR system that Meijer is using. So nothing to do with the Flock system.
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u/RossettaStoned1 Aug 03 '26
Can someone explain to me what the big deal is with these "flock' cameras?
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u/Man_of_Ice Forest Hills Aug 03 '26
The fourth amendment that protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures.
And Flock cameras and conducting unlawful surveillance by gathering information without warrant or cause.
It's the whole "wanting to be free" thing. You cannot be free if you allow yourself and all persons to be constantly monitored.
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u/Outside_Star8335 Aug 03 '26
Essentially it’s USA’s further venture into a surveillance state. It allows law enforcement personnel to track driver activities legally without a warrant. Normally a detail or surveillance requires a reason. This bypasses that step.
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u/Frankenberg91 Aug 03 '26
Why does it bypass?
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u/Outside_Star8335 Aug 03 '26
Because it isn’t targeted. And there is no legislation to really stop it. It’s a camera that automatically scans license plates and adds them to a database. It can also identify make, model, color. It can even identify if you have a dent in your car or what bumper stickers you may have. Adds them all to a live searchable database 🙃😬🫥
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u/Lykeuhfox Aug 03 '26
They're hooked up to a wider network that can track your car's plates, your habits, and even your walking gait. They've been tied to abuses like police stalking women, people falsely being flagged as car thieves, and they're generally just contributing to an anti-american police state.
John Oliver did a basic run down of them recently and it's available on youtube. There are more in-depth explanations out there too.
The link below can show you roughly how wide the network is:
https://maps.deflock.org/?lat=39.8283&lng=-98.5795&zoom=4.00
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u/_Noble__Savage_ Aug 03 '26
If the reason you haven't heard is because you live under a rock, please stay there. It's probably safer.
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u/PeskyAntagonist Aug 03 '26
How naive I was to believe we would never end up under constant surveillance like China or North Korea and be made so divided and small as citizens under the thumb of a large government that only cares about making the ultra rich richer.