A San Diego public safety meeting took an unexpectedly surreal turn this week, delivering the kind of Saturday-night oddity tailor-made for the internet.
The national debate over Flock license plate reader cameras has already been heated. Supporters point to cases in which the technology has helped stop serious threats, including mass terror plots. Critics, meanwhile, warn that automated license plate readers can become tools for abuse, especially when law enforcement officers misuse them to track people for personal reasons, including former partners. That concern is as unsettling as it sounds.
What few people likely anticipated was a full Darth Vader-style appearance at a San Diego City Council Public Safety meeting on Wednesday, with the speaker weighing in on the surveillance camera controversy as though he had just arrived from the Death Star. Whoever was behind the performance nailed the famous breathing sounds, and the voice was impressively close as well:
Darth Vader told the San Diego city council he is in favor of flock cameras! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/lnYVMLjAPY
— Garret Lewis (@GarretLewis) August 20, 2026
If the goal was to draw attention to San Diego’s Flock camera debate, it worked. The clip quickly spread online and has since been viewed millions of times.
The remarks themselves were bizarre, but the target appeared clear: the city’s roughly 500 Flock cameras mounted on streetlights. As the costumed speaker delivered his commentary, several people in the room seemed to be fighting back laughter.
The council member calling speakers, however, appeared completely unfazed. After thanking the previous resident for her comments, she simply moved to the next name on the list: “Darth Vader?”
Maybe, in Southern California politics, even Sith Lords get their turn at the microphone.
The Emperor is a fan of Flock, and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the Rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium, because we all know that the Flock cameras are not only following the license plate readers… They are following children in parks and gymnasiums, and we need this.
Then he came with the kicker:
I need this so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend.
I mean, the Death Star did have some of the lowest crime rates in the Galaxy.
— Jack Downing (@ImSpartacus18) August 21, 2026
MORE: Flocked-Up: Florida Cop Allegedly Used Flock 717 Times to Track His Estranged Wife
What the Flock?! Americans on Both Sides of Political Aisle Pushing Back on Surveillance State Tech
Earlier, he had also addressed the meeting about public safety. At least that’s what I think he was talking about:
“We have given too much money to our libraries, too much money to our parks; we need (San Diego Police) to have more money, more money for the Emperor to rule over the entire universe,” he said.
“We do not need parks. We do not need libraries. We do not need daycare centers. We do not need homeless shelters. All we need is money for our Storm Troopers,” he continued.
“We will not succumb to the forces of Democratic will. No, this council was elected to serve the police, not the public, and if our Storm Troopers don’t receive all the funding that they deserve, there will be hell to pay with the Emperor, and he is not as forgiving as I,” he finished, before sitting down and awaiting his second time at the microphone.
Okayyyy then. I’m not a hundred percent sure what his message is, but it sounds like he thinks too much money is going to law enforcement at the expense of other city services. As somebody who lives in California, I can tell you that I find the guy entertaining but don’t necessarily agree with him on that point, if that was indeed his message. You can’t even go to some of the libraries around here because they’re surrounded by homeless people and drug addicts.
One thing about city council meetings, though, is that they’re generally known for being mind-numbingly boring. If nothing else, this guy made the proceedings that much more entertaining.
Here’s more of Darth’s comments:
Aug 19, San Diego, CA – Darth Vader:
⁰The Emperor is a fan of Flock, and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium.Because we all… pic.twitter.com/fZ0gsEAj1H
— Jake (@JakeCan72) August 21, 2026
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