Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Gang database report

LEDE: CALIFORNIA HAS STRUGGLED WITH GANG VIOLENCE FOR DECADES. IT WAS THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION, BACK IN THE LATE 80S, TO CREATE A COMPUTERIZED DATABASE
OF SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS. MANY OTHER STATES HAVE SINCE FOLLOWED SUIT, BUT CALIFORNIA'S GANG DATABASE REMAINS THE BIGGEST- WITH OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND NAMES AND PHOTOS OF YOUTH FROM ACROSS THE STATE. NOW SOME PARENTS
ARE TAKING ISSUE WITH THE DATABASE, SAYING IT UNFAIRLY LABELS MINORITY YOUTH AS GANG MEMBERS. HOLLY KERNAN--OF NEW CALIFORNIA MEDIA--REPORTS FROM OAKLAND,

CALGANG IS THE CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION ON GANG MEMBERS, SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS AND WHAT ARE CALLED GANG ASSOCIATES--PEOPLE WHO HANG OUT WITH GANGS. LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS GO INTO NEIGHBORHOODS WITH GANG ACTIVITY TO GATHER INFORMATION SUCH AS NICKNAMES, ADDRESS, CAR TYPE, AND TATOOS. THEN THEY PUT THESE DETAILS INTO THE DATABANK SO THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AROUND THE STATE CAN SHARE THIS INTELLIGENCE.

AMB 1: Oakland gang unit ?He?s in court....? (fade under act)

SARGEANT HENRY HU HEADS UP OAKLAND?S GANG UNIT. HE SAYS INFORMATION LIKE THIS IS OFTEN THE KEY TO SOLVING A CRIME, LIKE IN THE CASE OF A CHINATOWN EXTORTION RING HE INVESTIGATED:

HU 3: and all we had was a nickname--rice boy--.... and using that name, I was able to retrieve his true identity, got his mug photo and put in lineup and show victims and witnesses in chinatown and thats how we came
to crack the case...

CALGANG IS A CONFIDENTIAL INTELLIGENCE FILE, SO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WON'T REVEAL THE EXACT NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS LISTED IN IT, BUT THEY SAY IT HOLDS WELL OVER 100 THOUSAND NAMES. SOME ESTIMATES ARE AS HIGH AS 3 HUNDRED THOUSAND. CRITICS OF THE SYSTEM SAY THAT'S JUST TOO MANY:

MAZON 1: the vast majority of people in gang databases have never committed a criminal offense.

ALEXIS MAZON IS A FELLOW AT THE SAN FRANCISCO BASED YOUTH LAW CENTER. SHE SAYS CALGANG TARGETS MINORITY YOUTH:

MAZON 2: the vast majority of individuals are young people of color. The D.A. issued a report in 1992 revealing that HALF of the population of the african american males between ages 21-24 was listed on database in Los Angles....

AND THAT'S THE MAIN FEAR FOR YOUTH ADVOCATES AND PARENTS--THAT KIDS ARE BEING LABELLED GANG ASSOCIATES MAINLY BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE. AND, BECAUSE THE DATABANK CAN BE ACCESSED BY POLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE STATE, YOUNG PEOPLE LISTED ALREADY HAVE A STRIKE OF SUSPICION AGAINST THEM -- WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE ACTUALLY IN A GANG.

AMB 2: LOGAN HIGH SCHOOL (hold to fade under track before Montoya act)

AT THIS SUBURBAN SCHOOL IN UNION CITY, ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF OAKLAND, THE ISSUE OF WHO GOES INTO THE DATABASE, AND WHY.. CAME TO A HEAD LAST YEAR.

JAMES LOGAN HIGH IS THE ONLY SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THIS CITY OF 68 THOUSAND. OVER 42 HUNDRED STUDENTS ATTEND AND IT IS ONE OF THE MOST ETHNICALLY DIVERSE SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY. PRINCIPAL DON MONTOYA SAYS GANG FIGHTS ARE A MAJOR PROBLEM AT LOGAN AND SO THE SCHOOL MUST TAKE A HARD LINE.

MONTOYA: We take stance in this district and school that we wont tolerate gang activity to try to reduce the intimidation factor and to make statement gang activity on the campus will not be tolerated.

SO WHEN RUMORS OF A GANG FIGHT CIRCULATED LAST YEAR, THE PRINCIPAL TOOK AN EXTRAORDINARY ACTION. AT LUNCHTIME, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND
LOCAL POLICE OFFICERS ROUNDED UP ABOUT 60 MOSTLY LATINO AND ASIAN KIDS. THEY WERE TAKEN TO TWO ROOMS FOR QUESTIONING AND PHOTOGRAPHING.
IT WAS PRECISELY THE PICTURE TAKING THAT MADE PARENTS MOST ANGRY. THEY FEAR THE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN LOGGED INTO THE CAL GANG DATABASE.
AMB 3: MARCH ?Student rights, civil rights? (fade to hold under act and tracks--will fade up again....)

COSTA 1: they photographed them put them in police department and now in gang database for all of California to see..

SHERRY COSTA HELPED LEAD A RECENT MARCH OF ABOUT 100 STUDENTS AND PARENTS TO UNION CITY HALL.

AMB 3 cont?d: MARCH amb up here ?Why are you so paranoid, give us back our polaroids? (and fade to hold under acts and tracks)

THEY WERE PROTESTING LAST YEAR?S ROUNDUP

COSTA 2: and there?s not even proof all those children were gang members--that's what we have a problem with--if you're going to address someone as gang member, it needs to be for sure...

SOME PARENTS, ALONG WITH THE LOCAL BRANCH OF THE ACLU, HAVE FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE UNION CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND LOGAN SCHOOL OFFICIALS. THE SUIT ALLEDGES THAT THE STUDENTS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED BECAUSE THEY WERE SEARCHED AND PHOTOGRAPHED WITHOUT JUSTIFICATION. (end March amb here)

THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, WHICH MANAGES CALGANG, SAYS THEY ARE SENSITIVE TO CONCERNS ABOUT MISUSE OF INFORMATION AND ALLEGATIONS OF RACIAL PROFILING. NATHAN BARANKIN IS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR:

(AMB 4: phone amb tone)

BARANKIN: we are taking every step necessary to make sure law enforcement knows to use databank responsibly and to protect privacy rights of those law abiding citizens that live in California.

THE SYSTEM IS PERIODICALLY PURGED OF FILES THAT HAVE BEEN INACTIVE FOR FIVE YEARS, SO, THEY SAY, THOSE IN CALGANG WHO ARE LAW ABIDING, SHOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM.

BUT THE UNION CITY PARENTS DO HAVE A PROBLEM. BECAUSE THE DATABASE IS CONFIDENTIAL,THEY STILL DON?T KNOW IF THEIR CHILDREN ARE LISTED IN IT AS GANG MEMBERS. AND THEY FEAR THAT AN UNFOUNDED LABEL COULD FOLLOW THESE KIDS LONG AFTER HIGH SCHOOL HAS ENDED. FOR NPR NEWS, I?M HOLLY KERNAN.

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