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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Anderson, Youth Leader from Make the Road New York
9:33:02
ยท
3 min
Anderson, a high school senior and immigrant from Ecuador, testifies about the negative impact of school police on students, particularly immigrants and students of color. He advocates for removing school police and redirecting funds to restorative justice and mental health support programs.
- Describes personal experiences of feeling threatened and uncomfortable due to school police presence
- Highlights the potential dangers for immigrant students, linking school police to the school-to-deportation pipeline
- Calls for the city to stop hiring school police and reallocate $100 million to supportive programs
- Expresses concern about federal education cuts and emphasizes the need for police-free schools
Anderson
9:33:02
Good afternoon.
9:33:03
My name is Anderson.
9:33:04
I am a high school senior at an international school, and I am a leader at Make Your Own New York and the Urban Youth Collaborate.
9:33:10
Council member Moyer represents where I live in Corona, and council member Chris Ann represents the area where I go to school.
9:33:17
Thank you for the opportunity to share my testimony today.
9:33:20
As a young person who immigrated to New York City A Few Years ago from Ecuador, my only hope was to have a quality education and go to college.
9:33:29
When I first started school, I felt scared to see so many school cops and did not understand what they were doing there.
9:33:37
Now I know that school cops are just there to criminalize black immigrant and students with disabilities.
9:33:43
Every time I'm changing classes during the school day, school cops threatened me to keep walking and get to class.
9:33:50
And when I go downstairs for lunch, I see a school cops in the hallways where the special education classrooms are, and I hear the young people yelling in desperation because of how the school cops are treating them.
9:34:03
It makes me feel so uncomfortable the way they impose their authority on us.
9:34:08
Instead of wasting money on school cops, we need to invest money in real school safety, like restorative justice and mental health supports.
9:34:17
This isn't just about money, but about the direct harm caused by school police.
9:34:21
School police escalate conflicts and disproportionately punish black and Latinx students.
9:34:27
There is no proof that school police actually prevent conflict in our schools.
9:34:31
Even worse, for immigrant students like me, any interaction with the school police can be life changing.
9:34:37
With increasing presence of ICE in our communities and the city's cooperation with immigration authorities, school police are driving the school to the portation pipeline.
9:34:49
I don't want to have to worry that any day in school for me could lead to to being separated from my family or derail from my dreams.
9:34:58
All young people deserve to feel safe in school regardless of immigration status.
9:35:04
I am so tired of come I am so tired of coming here every year to fight so that the New York City's the University budget stops funding school police and instead funds my education.
9:35:17
New York City has the largest school police force in the country with a budget of about $450,000,000.
9:35:23
Major Adams and the city council, you should stop recruiting, hiring, and training school.
9:35:29
Also, should permanently eliminate any school police academy classes.
9:35:33
If we stop hiring new school cops and quit the current 675 back in school's cops positions, we could immediately immediately have $100,000,000.
9:35:44
I want to see that money used to protect and expand restorative justice, mental health, and other programs that we need to have real safety and support.
9:35:52
Under under the new federal administration, young people and schools are under attack.
9:35:58
Just this week, I saw that the United States Education Department is going to fire half of all its employees.
9:36:05
These threats are really scary, and we need the city to pass a budget that protects young people and our education.
9:36:11
I just received a scholarship over $2,000, and I am excited to go to college and get a degree.
9:36:16
I don't want my dream to be uprooted by any school policy system or immigration enforcement because then all my hard work will have been for nothing.
9:36:25
We need police free schools now.
9:36:27
Thank you.