I don’t know where Clemons lives, but I have to assume that it’s somewhere under the rock. That’s where you have to be for missing out on the intense public debate the city had on this very issue. Is this hyperlocal and a good idea to think of bypassing your own damn city governing body a good idea?

Silent treatment

However, writing about the bill has become unexpectedly complicated. I reached out to Clemons to ask for comment on why he introduced the bill and why he was walking it.

Clemons initially called the bill “non-problem” via text message, then through his spokesman, he said he would call me. A few days later, Clemons changed his mind. As Clemons planned to withdraw the bill, his spokesperson said he would not adhere to questions about it.

But no one else will talk about it. Not even people seemingly contributed to talking to Clemmons about the wisdom of drawing bills. There’s no even “no comments.” Just cricket.

It’s not a problem

Local Democrats and anti-overview activists believe non-bill is worthy of debate. Seven or eight people who spoke to me claim they are worth telling stories off the record. Uses surveillance technology.

Councillor Rollin Horton said he was surprised that Nashville lawmakers introduced bills that preempt local measures in such a drastic way. In addition to preempting Nashville’s existing surveillance technology regulations, the bill would have allowed police to bypass local procurement requirements and enter into contracts without approval from the Metro Council.

“If this bill is actually the state’s first step, how can we condemn the state’s first step on other issues,” Houghton said. Similar future efforts by Clemons bills or local Democrats could set them as “a dangerous precedent” and “silence urban debate and concerns,” Horton added.

Lydia Yusiev, an surveillance activist who runs the Elmahaba Centre in Nashville, said Clemons’ withdrawal of the bill was not a source of celebration.

“You can’t slap someone in the face and say, ‘Oh, my fault.’ “It’s not necessarily important that bills don’t exist anymore. What concerns me is the lack of transparency as to why I think these are good ideas.”

I will give up highlands

Over the years, Democrats in the state legislature lamented the efforts of the Republican supermajority of local control over all sorts of issues, from short-term rentals to school vouchers.

Given this history, local Democrats were surprised to see one of their own attempts to preempt Nashville’s rules governing police use of surveillance technology. Democrats in Nashville would not have been surprised if the bill came from Republican lawmakers. In 2022, two Republicans submitted it, but they eventually retracted it. First Invoice It resembles one Clemons proposed last month.

Nashville Metro Council passes the controversial license plate leader

His “Buttal“For the governor’s national speech this year, Clemons said, “We will be able to address the underlying causes of crime, including poverty, lack of medical services, unsafe housing, and easy access to illegal guns, to help public safety.” He spoke about the Democratic focus on strengthening.

It’s notable missing from that list: allowing local police to bypass local governing bodies and unilaterally implement large surveillance networks that are not surveillance or accountable.

But that’s what Clemons was trying to do, and refusing to withdraw the bill or talk about it doesn’t go away.

Clemons finished his previous button with a call to action. Better demands. ”

On this, I agree: we should demand better. However, these requests should not be limited to Republicans in the room. Democrats should not get a pass just because they don’t want to turn Guantanamo Bay into a glorious concentration camp for undocumented immigrants.

If you want to claim moral highlands, you must be willing to admit it when you lose it.