Hundreds of New York City students joined together yesterday to stop the over-policing of their schools. It was really inspiring to see so many young people out there fighting for the right to have a safe and police-free education.
Since 1998, mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg assigned more than 5,000 school safety agents and at least 200 armed police officers to the city’s schools, making the NYPD’s school safety division larger than all but four of the nation’s police forces – larger than Washington DC, Detroit, Boston or Las Vegas.
The aggressive policing of New York City’s schools reflects a trend nationwide that pushes students -- mostly low-income youth of color -- from the education system into the criminal justice system.
Schools should feel safe and nurturing, not like prison.