Q&A
Babe Howell proposes eliminating self-initiated stops and the gang database
0:47:17
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165 sec
Babe Howell, a member of Grassroots Advocates for Neighborhood Groups and Solutions (G.A.N.G.S Coalition), responds to the question about NYPD reforms with specific proposals to address unconstitutional practices.
- Howell notes that special units engaged in self-initiated stops are responsible for most unconstitutional actions
- She proposes eliminating self-initiated stops and investigative encounters
- Howell calls for the elimination of the gang database, citing its disproportionate impact on people of color
- She suggests limiting proactive social media reviews to prevent mass surveillance of communities of color
Babe Howell
0:47:17
Reviewing the monitor reports over the last 11 years, it seems quite clear that actually when the NYPD does the responsive, investigation, They are in 95, 96, 97 percent of compliance.
0:47:38
The patrol officers have high compliance.
0:47:42
It are it is the special units out there claiming predictive or precision, self initiating stops that are not documenting their stops whatsoever, misrepresenting them, responsible for the vast majority of unconstitutional stops, unconstitutional frisk, and unconstitutional searches.
0:48:09
As the public advocate pointed out, we cannot expect the police to do all the things.
0:48:16
Their job is solving crimes, responding to calls.
0:48:21
If we remove this part where they are somehow supposed to, guess who is committing crimes and find them by stopping them, investigating them.
0:48:36
Until we remove that part, we will continue to see, this abuse, and particularly the racial profiling that that characterizes it.
0:48:50
So first, eliminate self initiated stops and investigative, encounters.
0:48:58
2nd, we do also need to eliminate the gang database, because once we have a label on someone that they are a gang member based on things they post on social media, that is automatically going to elevate, the police interest in them, and they'll see reasonable suspicion where it might not otherwise exist.
0:49:21
So we in order to get rid of, the equal protection violations, we must get rid of a database that is 99% black black and Latinx based on utterly lawful conduct.
0:49:38
And on that note, I I think we also need to proactively limit, social media reviews.
0:49:44
We have whole teams scouring only, people of color social media.
0:49:49
That can be used as an investigative technique in a responsive sense, but should not be self initiated.
0:49:56
We have to stop the mass surveillance of people of color.
0:50:01
Thank you.
