I’ve already given some Slog to the the Democrats’ election-year tough-on-crime kick. (Don’t want those Republicans to think Democrats are softies.)

Now this bill has come to my attention. The bill, co-sponsored by Seattle House Democrat Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36), broadens the definition of “gang member” and increases the punishments for crimes that are then considered gang related.

Activists focused on the unfair treatment of African Americans by law enforcement are alarmed by the bill—which also puts $2 million into a grant program to help fight gang activity. (I’ve included an e-mail from Justice Works below the jump that highlights some of their concerns about the bill.)

There’s a public hearing on the bill scheduled for next Wednesday.

This bill grants many millions of dollars to creating programs to
address gangs. That could be really beneficial if applied in ways
that empower youth at risk and their families. But from reading the
bill, it looks like resources are bound to be used as they’ve been
used before - remember Weed & Seed? This is the next level.

Part of the bill deals with adding more money to the police force to
handle the increased arrests that will be made due to the broader
definition of what is a criminal/gang member. What it means is that
law enforcement would be able to enact the tougher and stricter
penalties and sentences on people convicted of a crime that have been
labeled as gang members. The bill also talks about how much extra
time a person would get once convicted. And they’re planning to
create a database to give criminal justices agencies all over the
state and across the U.S. access to information gathered on each and
every person suspected of being related to a gang.

The information stays in there for up to 5 years after the last update
to a person’s file.