Surveillance Culture, Race, Class Intersect as Neighbors Pursue a ‘Porch Pirate’

After video of a repeat package thief circulated among San Francisco neighbors on social media, journalist Lauren Smiley decided to go after the full story of what happened to the woman who had been swiping parcels. She found a complicated intersection of class, race, surveillance and law enforcement. You can read the story, “The Porch Pirate of Potrero Hill Can’t Believe It Came to This,” in The Atlantic.

“I do think there is a difference of the old days of just analog neighborhood watch and the environment that’s been created with all these apps and video cameras on porches.” — Lauren Smiley