Educate Don’t Incarcerate Week: April 28-May 2
On Sat., April 19, BOP held a community town hall to hear what parents, students and community members have to say about the state of education in Oakland, what supports youth of color are lacking and how the community can support efforts to protect our young people without relying on police.
For too long, our communities have relied on police to keep us safe, but really how safe are we? How many more incidents of police violence like those that resulted in the murder of Raheim Brown by the Oakland School Police and Oscar Grant by BART police or Derrick Jones by Oakland Police, will it take before we start to question the role of police in our community?
In Oakland, Black youth are impacted the most by over-policing. If police believe they are protecting people from our youth, we have to believe in the need to protect our youth from police. In Oakland, Black youth are being funneled into the criminal justice system at rates higher than those of any other race. Over the last few years, Black youth have made up more than 70% of all juvenile arrests by the Oakland Police Department. Additionally, 72% of the 43 arrests and citations issued by school police last school year were issued to Black students even though they make up only 30% of the student population.
Through the Bettering Our School System campaign, we are currently negotiating with OUSD, OSPD, and OPD to pass a Memorandum of Understanding that limits and defines the role of police in our schools. One point of tension is over a parent notification clause in the policy that would require police to leave time for a parent to be notified and present during police interrogation of a student. Here’s what some students, parents and community members thought about police in schools…
“Any criminal situation that happens at school needs to be addressed while a parent or guardian is present. There shouldn’t be police in schools at all.”
“Students are not asked what they need and want to feel safe and get a good education. We need to create a space for parents and community members to be involved. It would be a much better use of funds to have more comprehensive programs.”
“There’s a lack of education on the law and civil rights and a lack of counseling and other needed programs to inform students. Police in schools is not the answer.”
Below, find out what the online community is saying about police presence in schools.
Educate Don’t Incarcerate Week at a Glance