The NYPD uses its Criminal Group Database (the “Gang Database”) to tag tens of thousands of Black and Latino New Yorkers as members of “street gangs” with little or no justification. These “gangs” are often small, informal groups of young people linked by their home or school (i.e., their family and friends). The Database contains staggering racial disparities: 99% of people in the Gang Database are Black or Latino.
Approximately 16,000 New Yorkers are on the Database’s “active list,” while tens of thousands more are included in the Database’s “inactive” list.
People can be added to the Gang Database even if they have never committed or been accused of a crime. The NYPD often adds people based on stereotypes and generalizations, like where they live or what they wear. Some are added with no justification at all, or without any explanation of how their behavior relates to alleged gang activity.
The Database causes a variety of harms, including increased surveillance, heightened police encounters, harsher court outcomes, families being forced from their homes, and ICE detention and deportation.
Int. 460, sponsored by Council Member Althea Stevens, would abolish the Gang Database and prevent successor databases from taking its place. It requires the City to notify people who were added, and inform them of how to request records about their inclusion. It also creates a private right of action, and requires the City to create a public awareness campaign to educate New Yorkers about their rights.