Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Pilar DeJesus, Senior Advocacy Coordinator at TakeRoot Justice
4:10:31
ยท
133 sec
Pilar DeJesus, representing TakeRoot Justice, strongly advocates for the abolition of the NYPD gang database, arguing that it disproportionately targets and criminalizes Black and Latino youth. She emphasizes that the database is a tool for racial profiling and oppression rather than public safety.
- Over 95% of individuals in the database are Black and Latino, which DeJesus argues demonstrates its discriminatory nature.
- She criticizes the lack of transparency, oversight, and due process in the database's operation.
- DeJesus highlights the long-term harm caused by inclusion in the database, including impacts on job opportunities, housing access, and education.
Pilar DeJesus
4:10:31
Good afternoon.
4:10:32
My name is Pilate de Jesus.
4:10:33
I'm a senior advocacy coordinator with Take Root Justice.
4:10:36
I want to give a shout out to my Take Root gang, gang gang.
4:10:40
I'm here today before you not only to urge you to abolish the NYPD gang database, but to demand that we confront the deeper truths about what the system represents.
4:10:50
This isn't about public safety, this is about control, this is about surveillance, this is about criminalizing black and Latino youth before they even have a chance to fully step into their own lives.
4:11:00
Over ninety five percent of individuals in the database are black and Latino.
4:11:04
That statistic alone should tell you everything you need to know about its purpose.
4:11:08
It does not target crime, it targets people.
4:11:11
It does not serve justice, it serves racial profiling.
4:11:13
It does not make New York safer.
4:11:15
It ensures that generations of young people, particularly those from poor communities, are kept under constant threat of criminalization.
4:11:23
Let's be clear, it's not illegal to be in a gang, and yet the NYPD treats inclusion in this list as a scarlet letter, an invisible mark that follows young people through their lives, often without them knowing.
4:11:36
A young person can be added to something so arbitrary as to where they live, who their friends are, or even how they dress.
4:11:44
There's no transparency, there's no oversight, and there's no way to challenge the inclusion.
4:11:49
And once you're in it, you're in.
4:11:50
No due process, no appeal, just a lifetime of heightened security and criminal suspicion.
4:11:57
If this database was truly about crime, why aren't Proud Boys in it?
4:12:01
Why don't you see wealthy white criminal organizations subject to the same surveillance or restrictions?
4:12:06
Because it's not about justice, it's about oppression.
4:12:09
It's a digital form of stop and frisk, a way to keep black and Latinos communities under constant NYPD watch, feeding into the cycle that limits opportunities, increases interactions with the criminal legal system, and sets young people up for failure before they even had a chance to make a choice.
4:12:28
Let's talk about the long term harm.
4:12:30
A young person in a NYCHA can be labeled as a gang member simply because of where they live.
4:12:35
That label can impact their ability to get jobs, access to housing, and further education.
4:12:40
Let's just try to get to the root of the problem and let's really abolish this database.