Surveillance cameras in the Rooms
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Hawthorne, FL
Posts: 1
Surveillance cameras in the Rooms
I realize that this is not an entirely new issue to this site, but looking back through the old posts I did not find any convincing answers. Our group realized that there was a camera in the room in our local fire station recording our meetings when one of the volunteer fire personnel reported one of our members attending the meeting who she felt was a threat to her (were she to be called to the station for an alarm during our meeting). Her claim had no merit, but aside from that, the point is that the camera was used to identify an AA member. When the group asked that the camera be turned off during meetings, the Fire Dept. refused; in addition, they refused our request to post a notice regarding the camera.
I understand that the 12th Tradition can be interpreted in two ways, i.e. as a reminder of humility and as a privacy issue. It seems to me that both can and do apply. Every AA member has the right, whether he or she chooses to avail him or herself of that right, to remain anonymous. In other words, neither the general public nor any authority has any assumptive right to know the identities of AA members. For that reason it appears to me that a surveillance camera in an AA meeting room is a violation of our 12th Tradition.
My group, as a whole, sees it differently. For that reason I have elected to stop attending that meeting (even though it has been my home group for quite a few years and it is the only meeting in my community). People are telling me that surveillance cameras are everywhere now, that there is no escaping them, so I should just ignore the camera. Something tells me not to do that. For me, the next right thing is to find another meeting. I cannot help but feel disappointment in the reaction of my group. Just another big ACCEPTANCE lesson I suppose.
R.L.
Florida
I understand that the 12th Tradition can be interpreted in two ways, i.e. as a reminder of humility and as a privacy issue. It seems to me that both can and do apply. Every AA member has the right, whether he or she chooses to avail him or herself of that right, to remain anonymous. In other words, neither the general public nor any authority has any assumptive right to know the identities of AA members. For that reason it appears to me that a surveillance camera in an AA meeting room is a violation of our 12th Tradition.
My group, as a whole, sees it differently. For that reason I have elected to stop attending that meeting (even though it has been my home group for quite a few years and it is the only meeting in my community). People are telling me that surveillance cameras are everywhere now, that there is no escaping them, so I should just ignore the camera. Something tells me not to do that. For me, the next right thing is to find another meeting. I cannot help but feel disappointment in the reaction of my group. Just another big ACCEPTANCE lesson I suppose.
R.L.
Florida
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,746
Wow! I'd be upset too. Why did the group say that they aren't going to fight the camera being there? Does no one see the violation of privacy going on there? Can the meeting be held somewhere else?
AA member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: United Kingdom.
Posts: 3,007
Welcome to SR.
Find a different meeting to attend,I always thought video camera recordings were only looked at when a problem occurs,sounds as if someone was being way too nosey,looking through footage of an AA meeting.
Or you can call for a group conscience meeting and raise your concerns.
Find a different meeting to attend,I always thought video camera recordings were only looked at when a problem occurs,sounds as if someone was being way too nosey,looking through footage of an AA meeting.
Or you can call for a group conscience meeting and raise your concerns.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 9,029
I would say move the meeting someplace else.knowing that the meetings were being filmed and that people were watching the meetings to me seems a huge violation of the " anonymity" part of AA. If the old timers don't have a problem with that and you can approach them, I would suggest that it could be hugely intimidating to newcomers who are already nervous about attending. Many of whom fear being "outed" to begin with.
Behold the power of NO
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: WA
Posts: 7,764
I d bring it up at the business meeting, have a group conscience vote and hopefully get a site search committee going. Many places are AA friendly: churches, community centers, schools.... and will charge only a nominal fee. Take a group vote on it.
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