U.S (MAKE THE ROAD NEW YORK) : #PoliceFreeSchools. Having more cops in schools means more interactions with police, especially for Black and brown students, who are disproportionately targeted.

 

 

 

Our youth members marched across the Brooklyn Bridge calling for an investment in their care, not on policing. NYC students march across the Brooklyn Bridge demanding that the City Council prioritize true public safety—not policing—for their schools and communities.         Dear friend,       Day before yesterday, hundreds of New York City students, including our Youth Power Project members, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge calling on the City Council for police free schools.   The march took place in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, in which Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks responded by calling for more police in schools and new scanners, despite the fact that school police there failed to keep students safe. Based on recent data released on school policing in NYC, Black and Latinx students make up 90% of school police incidents, yet only make up 66% of the population.       As our youth member Jocelyn Diaz Palafox shared with ABC News : “I've seen students get arrested. I’ve seen students have physical encounters with police officers, and even just witnessing these encounters has a negative toll on other students.”   Time and time again, students have shared how police presence escalates situations more than provide a sense of security. And yet, Mayor Adams’ proposed executive budget plans to allocate $400 million to school policing, including a plan to hundreds of new school police.   The Adams administration cannot continue to enable a hostile school-to-prison and deportation pipeline. “Having more cops in schools means more interactions with police, especially for Black and brown students, who are disproportionately targeted…Instead, we should be using resources for mental health support,” explained our youth member Alex Valera.       We’re counting on our elected officials in the City Council to invest in the care of our students—that means investing in school counselors, social workers and restorative justice coordinators.   In solidarity,         Jose Lopez, Co-Executive Director.             P.S. Check out a few powerful photos from our march across the Brooklyn Bridge for #PoliceFreeSchools!         Donate to Support Our Work! ​​​​​ Photo by Jorge Corona @coronagram​​​​​​​​​ Photo by Jorge Corona @coronagram​​​ Photo by Jorge Corona @coronagram​​​ Photo by Jorge Corona @coronagram​​​       Make the Road New York (MRNY) builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services. We have 25,000+ members and operate five community centers in Bushwick, Brooklyn; Jackson Heights, Queens; Port Richmond, Staten Island; Brentwood, Long Island; and White Plains, Westchester County.                                     Follow us on social media :    Twitter  Facebook   Instagram         Visit our website : maketheroadny.org                Have any questions ? Reach out to us at :    communications@ maketheroadny.org                           Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved.                 Make The Road New York 301 Grove Street Brooklyn, NY 11237