This site is a reference, not an organization. These are the people doing the organizing:
- CAMS (Communities Against Mass Surveillance): the Asheville coalition formed during the RTIC fight. Education, zines, events, and the accountability campaign: release the Axon contract, publicize the audit logs, clarify ICE data-sharing. Announcements often flow through Sunshine Labs’ Instagram.
- Sunshine Labs (@sunshinelabsavl): Patrick Conant’s civic-tech and transparency shop; ran the Sunshine Over Surveillance campaign. Sister project Sunshine Request files and publishes public records requests; browse before you file, and then use the Records Center: seventeen pre-written requests, addressed and ready.
- SASSI (Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure): regional research collective; surveillance primers, study groups, and the pre-vote teach-in at Firestorm.
- GAP of Asheville: government accountability watchdog; published its oversight demands on May 11, 2026.
- DeFlockNC: statewide network organizing on plate-reader contracts; DeFlock national has the map, records-request guides, and council-advocacy playbooks.
- Firestorm Books (1022 Haywood Rd): hosts many of the events.
- The Final Straw Radio: Asheville-based radio covering this organizing, on Asheville FM 103.3.
Four things you can do
- Go to the next meeting. The next meetings across the region, from the site’s calendar, with each body’s comment procedure on its area page:
- Friday, October 9: voter registration deadline for the Nov 3 general election; same-day registration remains available during early voting.
- Transylvania County: Monday, October 12, 6:00 PM: Transylvania County Board of Commissioners, 101 S. Broad St., Brevard, NC. Agenda not yet posted.
- Asheville: Tuesday, October 13, 5:00 PM: Asheville City Council, Council Chamber, 2nd floor of City Hall (in person). Agenda not yet posted.
- Macon County: Tuesday, October 13, 6:00 PM: Macon County Board of Commissioners, 5 West Main Street, Franklin, NC 28734. Agenda not yet posted.
- Madison County: Tuesday, October 13: Madison County Board of Commissioners, NC Cooperative Extension - Madison Center. Agenda not yet posted.
- Thursday, October 15: early voting begins; it runs through Saturday, Oct 31.
- Haywood County: Monday, October 19, 5:30 PM: Haywood County Board of Commissioners, 215 N Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786. Agenda not yet posted.
- Buncombe County: Tuesday, October 20, 5:00 PM: Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, 200 College St, Room 326 (Commission Chambers, 3rd Floor), Asheville, NC 28801. Agenda not yet posted.
- Jackson County: Tuesday, October 20, 6:30 PM: Jackson County Board of Commissioners, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Sylva, NC 28779. Agenda not yet posted.
- Brevard: Monday, October 26, 3:30 PM: Brevard City Council Public Safety Committee, 95 W Main St, Brevard, NC 28712. Agenda not yet posted.
- Tuesday, November 3: Election Day.
- Show up. Asheville’s Public Safety Committee meets Thursday, Sept 24, 1:00 PM: Asheville City Council Public Safety Committee, Remote meeting (virtual, per NC Gen. Stat. 166A-19.24(f)); livestream on Engagement Hub or the City's YouTube Channel, call-in (855) 925-2801 code 11543. Live call-in comments during the public comment period: (855) 925-2801, code 11543, then press * and select option 3. Pre-recorded voicemail comments accepted at the same number/code until 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting. Written comments to publicsafetycommittee@PublicInput.com, also closing 5:00 p.m. the day before.; the question to bring is where the audit reports state law already requires are. See Speak at Council.
- Take the tour. APD runs public RTIC tours every other Thursday, 2–4 PM (828-259-5881). Go with questions from the Promise Tracker and write down the answers.
- Ask the candidates. Not one questionnaire this cycle asked about surveillance. See Election 2026 and put the question to them directly, in public, on the record. Some of what candidates have said comes from recordings readers sent in that are not posted anywhere public; the Sept 16, 2026 council forum is one. Those files are available to anyone who wants to check a quotation: ask through any of the accounts above, and send in your own recordings the same way, with the date and place.