Chicago Youth Make The Case for Police-Free Schools
Editor’s Note: We are honored to have the chance to re-post and publish on SSWN, the vital work being done by Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Assata’s Daughters, Enlace Chicago, Beyond Legal Aid, Students Strike Back and the #PoliceFreeSchools coalition. These youth-led community organizations have been fighting for police-free schools and reinvestment in their schools and neighborhoods for years (including last year’s Chicago Teachers’ Union strike, which was in large part organized around fighting to get a school social worker, school nurse, and librarian in every Chicago Public School: check out their article on SSWN, “Chicago Students Strike Back and Fight for School Social Workers“) and we’re happy to feature their new report here on SSWN. It’s well-researched and makes compelling data-driven arguments for why police need to be defunded from Chicago Public Schools, and why these arguments are likely compelling ones that could be made for many school districts that currently fund armed police to patrol their hallways. One last note: we are interested in hearing from our SSWN readers on their school’s experience with police in schools, and we welcome responses to this report and the powerful data presented here. DM us at @SchoolSocWork or e-mail story ideas to [email protected].
#CopsOutCPS
A report on why it’s time for Chicago Public Schools to divest from the Chicago Police Department.
CopsOutCPS-Report-6.16.20-1“As more and more school districts around the country are joining the movement to end the school-to-prison pipeline and remove police from inside of schools, we want to share more information about the realities of school-based policing in Chicago. This report examines the disparities in who is impacted by school-based policing, the misconduct records of the CPD officers assigned to CPS, and the ways funds currently allocated towards policing could be re-invested.”
Visit: www.copsoutcps.com
E-mail: c [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS:
Andrea Ortiz, Karina Martinez, Veronica Rodriguez, Citlali Perez, Wally Hilke, Jacob Cantor, Debbie Southorn, Page May, Martha Armenta and more contributed to the research cited in this report. Thanks to volunteers Emma Perez, Stef Bator, Ashley Bohrer, Shannon Sullivan, and Kimmi Ramnine for their assistance. Graphics by Citlali Perez.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
We Came to Learn: A Call to Action for Police-Free Schools
By The Advancement Project
Handcuffs in Hallways: The State of Policing in Chicago Public Schools
https://www.povertylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/handcuffs-in-hallways-final.pdf
By Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
