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Imagine waking up tomorrow to discover you’ve been accused of gang violence.

You’re a law-abiding citizen. You’ve never been part of a gang. In fact, you’re against gang violence and want it to stop!

How could this happen?

For some, all it takes is wearing the wrong-colored t-shirt.…

That’s exactly what’s taking place with California’s gang-related state laws and its criminal gang intelligence database known as CalGang. For this reason the CalGang database and California’s gang laws ([link removed]) are the latest recipient of Independent’s California Golden Fleece ([link removed]) ^® ([link removed]) Award ([link removed]) .
Read the Report ([link removed])

What are the California Golden Fleece ([link removed]) ^® ([link removed]) Awards ([link removed]) ? They are a series of in-depth reports from the Independent Institute that expose the waste, fraud, and abuse in California. Our reports have three goals:
* to expose government waste
* to increase transparency into the inner workings of government
* to hold government accountable at all levels when they swindle taxpayers or break public trust by giving the public meaningful information

For a program, agency, policy, tax, or regulation to receive a California Golden Fleece^® Award, it must violate common-sense principles of responsible government.

The CalGang database unjustly targets “suspected” gang members—that is, people who are “suspected” even when there is no physical evidence of gang membership. This is a massive threat to the civil liberties of all Californians. No one should fear that wearing a red, green, yellow, or any colored t-shirt on the wrong day could mean their name will show up on a criminal database.
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That’s why the Independent Institute has bestowed its 15th California Golden Fleece^® Award to the CalGang system and California’s gang laws. Read the new report ([link removed]) by Research Associate Jonathan Hofer and Former Senior Paralegal Jonathan Fuentes.

This report is part of our work in Defending Civil Liberties, which centers around the belief that everyone is free to pursue prosperity, community, and happiness—regardless of color, heritage, or creed.

To find out more about the California Golden Fleece^® Awards, the Independent Institute, and how you can be a part of real solutions, visit us online ([link removed]) or follow us on X @CAGoldenFleece ([link removed]) . Past reports have exposed the corruption that led to California’s higher gas prices ([link removed]) ; public policy failures that contributed to California’s wildfires ([link removed]) , the stupidity and cruelty of automated license plate readers ([link removed]) ; why the Bay Area Rapid Transit ([link removed]) is dangerous, dirty, and unreliable; and more.


** REPORT AUTHORS
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Jonathan Hofer ([link removed]) is a policy research associate at the Independent Institute. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. He has written extensively on both California and national public policy issues. His research focuses on privacy policies, local surveillance, and the impact of emerging technologies on civil liberties. He is the author of “The Pitfalls of Law Enforcement License Plate Readers in California and Safeguards to Protect the Public” ([link removed]) and “Automated License Plate Readers: A Study in Failure” ([link removed]) .
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Jonathan Fuentes ([link removed]) is an Independent Institute contributor and a former senior paralegal for a national employment law firm in Washington, DC. His research interests include methods of constitutional interpretation, the separation of powers, and the history of the US Supreme Court. He earned a B.A. in political science and history from the University of California, Berkeley.
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