Hey Locals, 

We’re gearing up for another long public comment session at tonight's City Council meeting, where representatives from the FWPD and Flock Safety are scheduled to share information about the city's Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras that have been making headlines in recent weeks. We fill you in on what to know in Above the Fold.

In Briefs, we update you on the status of another hot-button issue – council’s vote on the city’s new homeless service center Downtown – as well as ongoing concerns about Parkview Health’s “exceptionally high” profits in 2025 and what they might mean for rural hospitals. Plus, changes coming to Downtown’s parking meters this summer.

In our To Do List, we have ways to celebrate Juneteenth with a free lecture at the ACPL, and ideas for Father's Day, including local distillery tastings, car shows, cookouts and more. There’s also a new reader-recommended, small-batch ice cream shop to visit in a nearby city!

Don’t forget: In June, we’re partnering with Club Soda to offer a special deal for all paid subscribers to The Local: Order two entrees, and get one free dessert to share.

Now, let’s get started.

NOTE: Links to Journal Gazette articles are marked(*) and may be behind a paywall.

Flock talk at City Council tonight.

We recap what to know.

What’s happening?

• Representatives from Flock Safety and the Fort Wayne Police Department are scheduled to share a presentation* at tonight's City Council meeting, regarding the FWPD’s $120,250 contract renewal with Flock, which hangs in the balance – set for a (delayed) vote on July 28.
• This marks the first time City Council has been privy to reviewing a contract with Flock Safety. Previous contracts, which began in 2024, cost less than $100,000,* and did not require council’s approval. 
• Citizens across the political spectrum are organizing to oppose the contract and Flock’s controversial AI-powered security technology in Fort Wayne, which has received pushback nationally. Tonight’s meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and includes public comment. 

For a quick review based on our previous report:

• Flock Safety is a fast-emerging, venture-capital-funded startup that operates a national network of 80,000+ Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras. It leases cameras to communities, law enforcement agencies, and businesses across the U.S. and stores data in a single database. 
• The FWPD leases about 36 Flock cams, which it uses to capture still images of vehicles on “public roadways spread out through the city.” It says its contract with Flock has been helpful in closing 95 cases and recovering stolen vehicles and property. In May, it launched a second pilot program with Flock to test the cameras’ audio system. 
• Safety, privacy and transparency are top concerns among council members and citizens.* Recently, a group called De-Flock Fort Wayne formed in opposition to the cameras locally. This mirrors a national activist group, which crowdsourced a map of LPRs, including 71 in Fort Wayne. It’s unclear who owns and operates the remaining local LPRs beyond the FWPD’s.

On Thursday, we’ll recap tonight’s presentations and discussion at City Council – for paid subscribers only – and address other lingering questions before the contract goes to a final vote on July 28.

• City Council voted 5-3 along party lines last week to hold funding for the city’s proposed homeless service center Downtown until Sept. 1. Councilman Nathan Hartman (R-3) recommended the hold, requesting more information about safety and the proposed location. Specifically, his requests include: an open forum community meeting, a real estate professional looking at additional locations, a public operation plan, security plan, and good neighbor plan, as well as an amendment allowing council to revisit the center after three years if it isn’t meeting their standards. Council members Rohli Booker (D-6th) and Michelle Chambers (D-At Large) argued Hartman’s requests have already been addressed by the city in recent weeks or are “in process,” WBOI reports.
• Fort Wayne’s new City Clerk is proposing changes to Downtown parking to give drivers more flexibility at street meters. WANE 15 reports Clerk John McGauley’s proposal “would allow drivers to add time to their parking session at the meter using coins or credit cards” as part of an effort to better reflect how people use Downtown today. McGauley hopes to have the changes in place later this summer, followed by longer-term plans to update the ParkMobile app.
• Parkview Health’s “strong 2025 financial growth at a time many Indiana hospitals struggled” is reigniting criticism about the nonprofit hospital network’s pricing and monopolistic business practices. Last week, WANE 15 published a report about an independent audit of the local healthcare system and its subsidiaries, which showed Parkview’s revenue up more than $400 million from 2024, reaching $3.4 billion in 2025. A statement from Parkview attributed this growth to a rising number of patients and services. But representatives with Hoosiers For Affordable Healthcare called Parkview’s profits “exceptionally high” and likely to raise prices in new cities as their “empire” expands into rural communities. They cited an Indianapolis Business Journal report showing nine Indiana hospitals have closed since 2015, and an additional 13 of 52 remaining hospitals plan to consolidate, join larger systems or discontinue services. In 2024, Parkview’s prices and business practices came under national scrutiny in The Guardian. (See our previous report here.)
• The boundaries of what’s considered “Downtown Fort Wayne” are expanding along Wells Street and Broadway, where small businesses say they’re seeing benefits. Last year, the organization Downtown Fort Wayne received reauthorization for the next 10 years of its services with expanded boundaries, which were enacted in 2026. This grew Downtown from roughly 99 blocks to about 141, making it the largest Downtown Improvement District in Indiana. In exchange for funding and buy-in from Downtown businesses and property owners, the organization offers multiple services, including marketing/social media promotion, event planning, snow/litter removal, and more. Learn more in Input Fort Wayne’s recent report.
• The Fort Wayne Zoo is opening a new exhibit* with two bald eagles on July 4 to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary. The adult and juvenile eagles will reside in the walk-through aviary of the Zoo’s Australian Adventure as “a visiting species.” Construction is underway, and the exhibit is expected to remain open indefinitely after July 4.

• Honor: Juneteenth with a lecture about Frederick Douglass’s speeches and letters on Abraham Lincoln during the abolitionist movement and the Civil War. The free event will be held by The Friends of the Lincoln Collection and the Black Chamber Fort Wayne in the ACPL Main Library theater on June 19 at noon with a Zoom option for virtual attendance. 
• View: Artlink’s 48th Annual Members’ Showcase, featuring local and regional artworks of all mediums, opening on June 18, 5-8 p.m., with light snacks and a cash bar.
• Celebrate: Father’s Day with Country Heritage Winery in LaOtto on June 20, 2-5 p.m., for Cruise In: Wine Down the Backroads, featuring a classic car show and live music from The Jukebox Heroes. Next door, visit Backroads Distilling, on June 21, noon-7 p.m., for free tours and tastings, BBQ from the Sandwich Shop, and a Build Your Own Old Fashioned experience. 
• Cookout: with Bravas’s “infamous summer cookouts” – the first one on Father's Day, June 21, 10 am - 3 p.m., featuring a special “cookout menu (coming soon!)” as well as usual lunch and brunch.
• Cool down: with old-fashioned ice cream at Alley Scoops in Columbia City, a recommendation from one of our readers who calls it “the smallest ice cream shop that I have ever seen.” Located in Ohki Alley at 118 W. Van Buren St., it’s operated by two ladies in their mid-70s who serve small-batch, “secret recipe” ice cream in 24 flavors. 
• Dance: all night at the next Stay Up party at the Brass Rail on June 20 with Fresh Ben and Black Code, 8 p.m.-“late p.m.” ($15)

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Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett

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