Eye in the Sky

Optical Intrusion indeed. The deterrent effect of this kind of massive surveillance may be effective in preventing conscientious, law abiding citizens from jaywalking too brazenly, I suppose. But the people who have nowhere else to go? The people who literally sleep on the sidewalk? The people who lack any income whatsoever, or receive just enough to keep them (perhaps) one step above abject poverty? Who among us really believes desperate people are about to stop and think about Big Brother's ubiquitous cameras before slinging an 8-ball of rock cocaine? Who really thinks the "Eye in the Sky" will stop some poor, uneducated dude from beating someone up in the heat of passion? Oh, right. The real motivation behind installing more and more spycams isn't to PREVENT street crime; it's to utilize the ever-increasing capabilities of the technology, which is now more than ever able to capture images for analysis by facial recognition software, in real time. Not to mention the potential intimidation of political activists alluded to in this article. Our startlingly authoritarian authorities will relish each new opportunity to use the footage obtained against prospective defendants in a court of law. Consider: Dane County's sherriff recently informed the community that he's interested in building a new jail. Consider: Dane County has taken some positive steps toward reducing the incarcerated population here; it's now down to about 800, from a high a few years back of over 1100. Build a new jail? If we do, enough new inmates to overpopulate the place will surely be enthusiastically sought after by local law enforcement. But taking genuine, positive steps to enhance public safety would require more, much more than implementing additional "1984" strategies. Taking into account all that's been done to benefit the privileged Downtown, and how little has been accomplished to help those in true and dire need... I'll simply quote Franklin Delano Roosevelt, speaking at his 1936 inaugural: "... the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." http://host.madison.com/news/local/writers/steven_elbow/optical-intrusion-footage-from-surveillance-cameras-downtown-may-end-up/article_cc180d66-1fcc-59cc-a198-4b9f6aa6be01.html?comment_form=true