Mayor Wu Approves Funding for BRIC Center and Gang Database

by Patrick Wilson

October 5, 2023

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu approved $3.4 million in funding for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) on Wednesday, including its gang database. This marks a shift in her position on the BRIC center, which she previously opposed due to concerns about racial bias.

Wu has said that she supports the BRIC center’s work to combat gang violence and other serious crimes, but she has also expressed concerns about the potential for the gang database to be used unfairly to target minority communities.

In a letter to the Boston City Council, Wu wrote that she has been working with the BRIC center to implement new safeguards to protect civil liberties. These safeguards include:

• Requiring more evidence before adding someone to the gang database
• Limiting how long people can be in the database
• Providing people in the database with more opportunities to challenge their inclusion

Wu also said that she will be working to create a civilian oversight board for the BRIC center to ensure that it is accountable to the public.

The approval of funding for the BRIC center has been met with mixed reactions. Some community members have expressed concerns about the gang database.

** This piece was created with the help of ai.