Two Flock surveillance cameras in suburban Houston, Texas were cut down by an unidentified vandal on Friday, and the culprit left behind a spray-painted message demanding the release of the Epstein files, according to a report by Gizmodo's Matt Novak published on Tuesday.

The devices have become intensely controversial. Supported by President Donald Trump and opposed by critics including protesting park rangers, Flock cameras draw fierce resistance from Americans who oppose the idea of mass surveillance. The latest act of vandalism, however, stood out because the perpetrator explained the motive.

"That's not shocking in itself, given the intense backlash nationwide against the surveillance devices," Novak wrote. "But the vandal did do something a little unique this time. They left a message behind suggesting why they did it. Whoever cut the Flock cameras down wants the Epstein files to be released."

Surveillance footage captured a hooded figure cutting down one of the cameras in Cypress, Texas, in the early morning hours of Friday, according to local news outlet ABC 13. A second Flock camera in the area was also cut down. The devices run on solar panels, which appeared to have been vandalized with white spray paint applied through a stencil, judging by the video captured by ABC 13. The stencil read: "Release the Epstein Files."

Novak noted that it is unclear whether the vandal believes there is a direct link between Flock and the fact that the Department of Justice has refused to release all government-held files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Donald Trump, who was Epstein's "best friend" for about 15 years before the two had some kind of falling out in the 2000s, has generally supported Flock cameras.

Flock cameras are sold to governments on the premise that they make it easier for law enforcement to do its job and keep the public safe. Many people, by contrast, are uncomfortable with the fact that they are monitored by these cameras whenever they walk or drive. The Texas episode captures how the dispute is playing out on two fronts at once: physical resistance to the hardware in the places where it is installed, and a policy fight now squarely before Congress. Some lawmakers have said they are taking action.

"Two bills are before Congress," retired New York Times senior editor Terry H. Schwadron wrote on Tuesday. "The Ban Flock Act introduced this month by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., would prohibit federal agencies from using ALPRs and cut off federal funding to state and local governments that use them. The Flock-Off Act introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., seeks to strip federal funding from municipalities that operate covered automated camera systems, though it has drawn debate over its broader impact on red light and speed cameras." ALPR stands for automated license plate reader, the technology the Ban Flock Act would restrict.

Schwadron added that the ACLU argues that where people drive is none of the government's business, and has organized a "Get the Flock Out" campaign, coordinated local pushback and called for complete bans on ALPR networks. Whether either measure advances, and how the standoff between the cameras' backers and critics evolves, remains to be seen.