Relativity, Epiq, and The Washington Lawyers’ Committee’s Justice for Change Project

About This Project

Summary

Relativity’s Justice for Change program provides free use of our cloud-based e-discovery product to organizations doing legal work on behalf of social justice and racial equity. Justice for Change and Relativity’s ecosystem partner, Epiq, provided The Washington Lawyers’ Committee and a coalition of civil rights advocate organizations with our product to help investigate for their report, entitled “Targeted, Labeled, Criminalized: Early Findings on the District of Columbia’s Gang Database.”

Goals & Objectives

The report highlights that the Gang Tracking and Analysis System is inaccurate and racially discriminatory, lacking safeguards for the civil liberties of DC’s Black and Brown residents. The authors aim to address its fundamental flaws and take immediate steps to reduce its racially disparate impact.

Results & Impact

The report sparked media discussion about the database’s unreliable intelligence, revealing that membership often reflects race and zip code more than criminality. The list of 1,951 labeled as "gang members" or "associates" frequently includes people without specific suspicion of criminal activity.