Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 31 July 2019

Gang database made up mostly of young black, Latino men

By PHILIP MARCELO database to police.
Associated Press Like others, Boston's gang
BOSTON (AP) — Boston database follows a points-
police are tracking nearly based system. A person
5,000 people — almost all who accrues at least six
of them young black and points is classified as a
Latino men — through a "gang associate." Ten or
secretive gang database, more points means they're
newly released data from considered a full-fledged
the department shows. gang member.
A summary provided by the The points range from hav-
department shows that 66% ing a known gang tattoo
of those in its database are (eight points) to wearing
black, 24% are Latino and gang paraphernalia (four
2% are white. Black people points) or interacting with
comprise about 25% of all a known gang member or
Boston residents, Latinos associate (two points per
about 20% and white peo- interaction).
ple more than 50%. The summary provided by
The racial disparity is "stark Boston police provides a
and troublesome," said snapshot of the database
Adriana Lafaille, a lawyer as of January.
for the American Civil Liber- Of the 4,728 people listed
ties Union of Massachusetts, at the time, a little more
which, along with other than half were considered
civil rights groups, sued the "active" gang associates,
department in state court meaning they had con-
in November to shed light tact with or participated in
into who is listed on the da- In this Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 an immigrant from El Salvador speaks with a reporter from The As- some form of gang activity
tabase and how the infor- sociated Press, in Somerville, Mass. in the past five years. The
mation is used. Associated Press rest were classified as "inac-
Central American youths tive," the summary states.
are being wrongly listed last year over his alleged Mooradian said he noted Portland, Oregon, discon- Men account for more
as active gang members gang involvement said he in immigration court that tinued its database in 2017 than 90% of the suspected
"based on nothing more was a victim of harassment the man, who was granted after it was revealed more gang members, and peo-
than the clothing they are and bullying by Bloods special immigrant juvenile than 80% of people listed ple between ages 25 and
seen in and the classmates members as a youth and status in 2014, reported at on it were minorities. 40 comprise nearly 75% of
they are seen with," and was never an MS-13 mem- least one altercation with In Chicago, police this year the listing.
that's led some to be de- ber, as police claim. Bloods members to police proposed changes after The department last week
ported, the organizations The man spoke to The Asso- and cooperated with the an audit found their da- provided the summary
say in their lawsuit, citing ciated Press on the condi- investigation. Witnesses tabase's roughly 134,000 along with the depart-
the cases of three Central tion of anonymity because also testified about the entries were riddled with ment's policy for placing
American youths facing he fears retribution from man's good character and outdated and unverified in- people on the database
deportation based largely gang members. work ethic as a longtime formation. Mayor Lori Light- after the AP filed a records
on their status on the gang He said he never knew he'd dishwasher at a restaurant. foot also cut off U.S. Immi- request in June.
database. made the list while in high "Bottom line, this was a per- gration and Customs En- The ACLU was also provid-
"This has consequences," school until he was picked son by all metrics who was forcement access ahead ed the same documents
Lafaille said. "People are up years later in a 2017 im- doing everything right," of planned immigration in response to its lawsuit
being deported back to migration sweep. said Mooradian. "He had raids this month. as well as a trove of other
the countries that they fled, The gang database listed legal status. He went to California's Department of related policy memos and
in many cases, to escape him as a "verified" mem- school. He worked full time. Justice has been issuing an- heavily redacted reports
gangs." ber of MS-13 because he He called police when he nual reports on the state's for each of the 4,728 peo-
Boston police haven't pro- was seen associating with was in trouble. And it still database since a 2017 law ple listed on the database
vided comment after mul- known MS-13 members, landed him in jail." began requiring it. And in as of January, according
tiple requests, but Com- had feuded with mem- Boston is merely the latest New York City, records re- to documents provided by
missioner William Gross has bers of the rival Bloods city to run into opposition quests and lawsuits have the ACLU and first reported
previously defended the street gang, and was even with a gang database. An prompted the department Friday by WBUR.
database as a tool in com- charged with assault and advocacy group filed a to disclose more informa- The ACLU has asked the
bating MS-13 and other battery following a fight at lawsuit this month in Provi- tion about its database. city for less-redacted re-
gangs. school, according to re- dence, Rhode Island, argu- In Boston, where Demo- ports, Lafaille said. It's also
One 24-year-old native of El cords provided by his law- ing the city's database vio- cratic Mayor Marty Walsh still waiting for information
Salvador nearly deported yer, Alex Mooradian. lates constitutional rights. has proposed strengthen- about how often ICE ac-
ing the city's sanctuary cesses the database and
policy, the ACLU suggests how police gather gang
specifically banning police intel in schools.
from contributing to any "After all this time, we still
database to which ICE has don't have an understand-
access, or at least requiring ing about who can access
police to provide annual this information and how
reports on the database. it's shared," she said. "That's
/arubatoday/ Walsh's office deferred something the public has a
questions about the gang right to know."q