NEW ORLEANS, June 15th, 2026 -
Local community organizations, Eye On Surveillance and Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), with legal representation from the Center for Constitutional Rights and co-counsel Attorney William Quigley, will gather on Tuesday, June 16, at 9 am on the steps of City Hall at 1300 Perdido St to announce the official filing of legal action on June 15, 2026, against the New Orleans City Council regarding Open Meeting Law Violations that occurred on an April 16thmeeting that approved the budget for a dangerous police drone program.
For more than 6 months, community members and local organizations have organized and denounced the dangerous police drone program, highlighting privacy, civil, and human rights concerns regarding the military-grade surveillance tech capabilities of police drones. Thousands of emails have been sent to City Council and NOPD opposing the police drone program and voicing concerns around transparency regarding the approval process, including questions around a private investor funding half a million dollars for the dangerous police drone program. Community members from EOS and VOTE were silenced, their rights to participate in public governing decisions and bodies denied by the actions of City Council at the April 16th meeting.
In the face of increasing state and federal authoritarian threats, community organizations and members demand transparency, community power, and input that goes beyond words and appearances; real democratic processes that are based on community voices; and community safety that safeguards our basic human rights.
See the official filings here.
