PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Babe Howell, Member of Grassroots Advocates for Neighborhood Groups and Solutions (G.A.N.G.S Coalition) on NYPD's Gang Database and Stop and Frisk
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5 min
Babe Howell, representing the G.A.N.G.S Coalition, testified about the connection between gang policing and stop and frisk practices in New York City. She criticized the NYPD's gang database as a way to circumvent stop and frisk restrictions and highlighted its disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx youth.
- The NYPD's gang database is 99% Black and Latinx, using non-criminal criteria to label individuals as gang members.
- Gang-labeled individuals face increased scrutiny in stop and frisk encounters and other negative consequences in the criminal justice system.
- Howell urged support for Intro 798 to abolish the gang database and called for increased community-based support for vulnerable youth.
Babe Howell
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Good morning.
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I'm Babe Howell, a member of the Grassroots Advocates for Neighborhood Groups and Solutions, the gangs coalition.
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Our coalition includes young people, their parents, those who represent young people, those who work with them through community based organizations, and organizations striving to protect their civil rights.
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We focus on the policing of our city's vulnerable children and young adults and the impact this has on their safety and the safety of their communities.
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Thank you, chair Salaam and the Committee on Public Safety for holding this hearing on stop and frisk and other investigative encounters.
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To begin with, how does gang policing relate to stop and frisk?
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2 ways.
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1st, gang policing is in New York, a cynical end run around the historic ruling that the NYPD's misuse of stop and frisk violates both the 4th amendment and equal protection.
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The NYPD announced Operation Crewcut in response to the stop and frisk litigation at a time when crime was at historic lows in New York City, and gang crime accounted for a minuscule amount of the crime in New York.
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Operation Crew Cut gave a new name to policing based on appearance and location.
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The second connection critical for today's hearing is that once labeled a gang member by the NYPD in their gay database, young people are targeted for and vulnerable in stop and frisk and investigative encounters.
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A bit of background on the NYPD's gang policing before I go on to stop and frisk.
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NYPD's gang gang definition requires only 3 or more individuals.
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There are 500 gangs in the gang database, averaging about 30 members each.
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Gang policing in New York covers friendship groups and neighborhood groups.
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It is not limited to gangs.
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The database is populated entirely using noncriminal criteria.
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People are added to the gang database based on what they post on social media, what they wear, their friends and relatives, and where they live with no notice and no ability to challenge their inclusion.
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The NYPD's, office of inspector general's report last year found that people could be added to the gang database for wishing a friend happy birthday or for using certain emojis.
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They found that gang locations included NYCHA properties, whole precincts, and people's home addresses.
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Children as young as 13 are added to the gang database, and they've added people down to age age 11 in the past.
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And the NYPD also lacked documentation for many entries.
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They used illegally sealed arrests and denied a 100% of foil.
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The resulting gang database is 99% black and latinx.
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99%.
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The NYPD claimed this is about precision policing, but it is only precise in how it profiles and targets only black and Latinx youth.
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There are no white supremacists, no mafia, no Russian or Armenian gangs, no Proud Boys, almost no white people in the gang database.
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Back to the stop and frisk connection.
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The domain awareness system means the gang designation is available to every police officer and puts a target on on those that are labeled as gang members.
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Our youth report being stopped as regularly as they were at the height of stop and frisk, some monthly, some multiple times a week.
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As the Federal Monitor re reports, 11 years on, NYPD still has no plan for equal protection.
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Stops, frisk, and surges are all increasing.
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Moreover, the neighborhood safety teams, public safety teams, and housing are the officers most likely to conduct, self initiated stops, unconstitutional stops, and searches.
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The harms of this policing cannot be overstated.
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Individuals are not safe online.
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They are not safe in the streets.
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They are dragged unnecessarily into the criminal system, often for minor offenses.
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They are denied off ramps and second chances in criminal and family courts.
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They are held at Rikers and subjected to violence.
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They are punished for the crimes of others.
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All this because of a label that is affixed by the NYPD without criminal conduct and a label that is reserved for black and Latinx New Yorkers.
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Of utmost concern, as we look to the future, gang labeled individuals are subjected to ice sweeps, detention, removal, and denied discretionary immigration relief.
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In closing, I make 3 asks.
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1st, the gangs coalition asked that you support intro 798, which would abolish the gang database.
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2nd, ask the OIG, the federal monitor, and the NYPD to track and study investigative encounters of gang labeled individuals.
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And 3rd, of course, increase community based support for vulnerable youth to protect and promote true community safety.
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Thank you for your for this opportunity to to testify, and The Gangs Coalition, written testimony will include more citations and and facts to
Samah Sisay
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support this.