BLM activists demand abolition of Chicago police's 'racist' gang database

A Chicago-based group called Defund CPD Campaign is advocating for the abolition of the Chicago Police Department's "racist" gang database, stating that a vast majority of individuals listed are Black or "Latinx."

"Another racist surveillance tool used to criminalize is CPD's gang database. Of the 500,000 Gang Arrest Cards recorded, 95% of the individuals designated as gang members were Black and Latinx, with 91.3% of all individuals being male," a Twitter post from the Defund CPD Campaign reads.

The database has been heavily criticized by advocacy groups, with many saying that it targets certain neighborhoods or races.

Following criticism, the city council took steps towards reforming it last month, allowing the Chicago Police Board to hear appeals from those who want their names removed and feel they were wrongfully added, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.