By: Jared Evan
A far-left city councilwoman from Queens is spearheading an effort to eliminate a vital crime fighting tool for the NYPD, the gang member data base.
Tiffany Cabán, who represents the 22nd District in western Queens covering Astoria, Rikers Island and portions of East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside, made headlines last year for her extremist position on fighting crime.
She published a manifesto which supported forcing victims of violent crimes to help their attackers in the name of “restorative justice.”
Instead of locking away a violent criminal, the victim would be forced to coach the violent criminal into leading a more productive life.
Luckily thus far this fantastical, delusional, and farcical plan has not been implemented.
“Communities will be empowered to develop individualized strategies to help heal wounds of violence rather than being forced to rely on policing and prisons as the only recourse,” read the young Marxist’s manifesto.
Cabán, is up for re- election in 2024, and until then, there is plenty of time for damage to be done.
A new bill which is being co-sponsored by Queens progressives Tiffany Cabán, Julie Won and Shekar Krishnan, would end the database and prevent the police department from compiling a replacement.
With a city plagued by gang violence, where young people of color, enter a life of violence, with gun fights and often innocent victims caught in the crossfire; this bill could not come at worse time.
Not a weekend goes by, without a young Black or Hispanic male, ends up dead due to gang activity, yet “woke” City Council members this is the proper time to strip the NYPD of one of the few tools they have against gang mayhem.
The NYPD’s gang database is a police resource tool containing the names of alleged gang members and other intelligence relating to street gangs. It is estimated that there are around 18,000 people currently listed on the database, according to Astoria Post
In a 2021 report, the NYPD stated that the database is a “critical component of modern policing and an invaluable tool for detectives investigating crime.”
“Kids on this list for as little as wearing the wrong colors in the wrong place are threatened with gang conspiracy charges, and more,” Cabán, told local media. Note, this is all hearsay and no data backs these claims.
“We must eliminate the gang database and prevent the creation of a replacement.”
“If we truly care about public safety outcomes, the evidence-based, data-driven way forward is crystal clear,” Cabán said. “We must invest in the supports our young people need: mental healthcare, high-quality education, restorative justice, employment opportunities, nutritious food, and more.”
The move to eliminate the NYPD’s gang database comes at a time when most citywide crime categories have increased this year — with overall crime up 34.4 percent, according to city data. 114th Precinct, which covers much of Cabán’s district, overall crime is up 23.3 percent compared to the same period last year.
The Astoria Post reported that Councilmember Robert Holden, a staunch supporter of the NYPD, of the District 30 which covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, and parts of Woodhaven and Woodside, spoke out.
“With the explosion of gang violence claiming so many innocent victims in this city, just who are these council members pretending to protect?” Holden said in a statement to the Queens Post.
