How Secretive Police Gang Lists Prey On Black People

police officer with gang enforcement patch on back of uniform
Tremain Prioleau II
July 16, 2024

On the morning of April 26, 2016, Kraig Lewis was arrested in The Bronx 120 Raid which later faced heavy criticism for its use of an inaccurate database of gang members. Lewis wasn’t a gang member, but he was caught in the crossfire.

The NYPD database landed Lewis in jail for over two years. The ordeal halted his dreams of becoming a lawyer and a rapper. Now, he’s a community organizer and an advocate against this type of racial profiling and surveillance.

Being on a gang list makes life a lot harder. Police target you and navigating the criminal legal system is oppressive. Gang lists can also limit your future. Stopping crime isn’t the point, discrimination is.

The NYPD isn’t the only police department with a gang database. Chicago and Washington, D.C. police departments have been criticized for their databases. And in April, the city of Wichita, Kansas, agreed to a $625,000 settlement over its police department’s gang list. This is a national problem for us all.

Gang lists are nothing but a racist ploy to target Black people. Even cities responding with large settlements can’t make up for the many people with frozen dreams like Kraig Lewis, all because of police violence. Our tax dollars shouldn’t be funding this system, period.

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