Free Republic

A retired San Francisco schoolteacher is accusing the city of running a “Big Brother” surveillance dragnet that illegally tracks everyday drivers. Michael Moore, a retired public school teacher, filed a federal class-action lawsuit Monday alleging sweeping Fourth Amendment violations. Moore says the city’s Flock license-plate reader system unlawfully monitors his movements as he drives to stores, his sons’ schools and family gatherings — all without a warrant or probable cause. San Francisco has installed roughly 450 to nearly 500 Flock cameras along major roadways, making it “functionally impossible” to drive anywhere in the city without having your license plate photographed,...

CHICAGO — It’s been less than two months since Tyquaries Young was paroled for two carjackings and an armed robbery. He’s back in jail now. Chicago police say he carjacked a woman on the West Side Friday morning. Back in May 2019, Young, now 26, was paroled for a Chicago robbery case. Less than four months later, he was arrested for carjacking a driver in the 3500 block of West Polk. Officials in Kankakee quickly linked him to two carjackings and three armed robberies in their town, too. In one case, the Kankakee Daily Journal reported that Young was accused...

The District is still stuck in a pandemic funk. Most days, the city, especially the core downtown blocks around the White House, looks more like a ghost town than a vibrant capital city. Before the coronavirus shutdown, visitors to Washington were often in awe of how many cranes punctuated the skyline. Now, it’s hard to find a building without a “for rent” sign. Coffee shops and restaurants are serving limited hours, if they’re open at all. Hopes were high for a revival this fall. Schools reopened. Covid cases were way down. Businesses were calling their employees back. But the city...