MCLA to Host Lecture Focused on Surveillance, Police, and Big Tech

07:53AM / Wednesday, September 10, 2025Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host its annual Constitution Day Lecture at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Murdock Hall, Room 218.

This year's presentation, titled "Surveillance, Police, and Big Tech: Lessons from Baltimore," will be delivered by Dr. Ben Snyder, associate professor of sociology at Williams College.

Snyder's talk will focus on a 2020 partnership between Baltimore police and a technology startup to deploy aerial surveillance planes designed to reduce gun violence. Equipped with high-powered cameras, the planes recorded the movements of every person in public view across the city.

Drawing from direct observations of homicide cases, Snyder will examine how the program operated, why it largely failed, and the broader consequences of such for-profit surveillance initiatives on constitutional rights.

Snyder has taught at Williams College since 2018 and tells stories about how technology is shaping society from the perspective of everyday people. He is the author of two books: "Spy Plane: Inside Baltimore's Surveillance Experiment" and "The Disrupted Workplace: Time and the Moral Order of Flexible Capitalism." He has also published numerous scholarly and popular pieces based on immersive investigations of difficult-to-reach populations, from long-haul truck drivers to hedge fund traders to surveillance analysts.

Constitution Day was established as a federal holiday in 2004 and first celebrated in 2005, recognizing the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia.

The Constitution Day Lecture is free and open to the public and is made possible by MCLA's Department of History and Political Science.

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North Adams Housing Authority Director Steps Down

Staff Reports09:16AM / Friday, October 09, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Jennifer Hohn, the longtime executive director of the North Adams Housing Authority (NAHA), has stepped down after 24 years with the agency.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that Hohn resigned from her position on Thursday. The NAHA Board of Commissioners is currently developing a transition plan.

Her resignation follows rising tension between Hohn and the tenants association. Residents—particularly at the Spring and Ashland Park apartments—have raised specific concerns regarding building security, drug activity, and trespassers.

This summer, Tenants Association President Corey Fortin posted a video on social media demonstrating that door alarms in some of the buildings were not functioning.

Shortly after the video was posted, the tenants association's office was locked. Members alleged Hohn locked the space in retaliation, while Hohn maintained it was a matter of tenant safety. Hohn also stated that NAHA does not officially recognize the association because it has yet to go through official channels for certification—a claim the tenants association disputes.

The dispute culminated in plans for a formal grievance hearing between Hohn and the association. Both sides agreed to hold a meeting on Oct. 3, but the hearing had not yet been scheduled at the time of her resignation.
During her tenure as director, Hohn oversaw significant changes at NAHA, including expansion and the dissolution of Housing Opportunities Incorporated, a program founded over 30 years ago to assist first-time homebuyers. Most recently, she led efforts to transition NAHA properties from traditional public housing models to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. She also directed the rebuilding of a Greylock Valley Apartments building after it was severely damaged by a fire.

The NAHA Board of Commissioners meets monthly, typically on Mondays.

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