Richard Martin predicts that the erosion of privacy won't concern the residents of the crime-ridden Jordan Downs housing project in Watts. He may be right: many are willing to trade their civil liberties for a sense of security. And the limited intrusiveness of "seven cameras strategically mounted around the project and linked to a multi-screen command center inside the LAPD's Southeast Substation" promotes less anguish than sneak-and-peek searches or national security letters, which (unlike a camera) can't be avoided by retreating to a private place.

It should nonetheless make us uncomfortable to know that the government is recording our public movements. This is particularly true when the surveillance cameras target areas in which poor and nonwhite individuals are concentrated. The proliferation of video surveillance threatens to erode civil liberties while making a dubious contribution to public safety -- even if the cameras make Jordan Downs' residents feel better.