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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Youth Leader from Make the Road New York
7:16:49
·
3 min
A high school sophomore and youth leader testifies about the negative impact of school police presence and calls for reallocation of funds towards restorative justice and mental health support in schools. She emphasizes the need for police-free schools and highlights the disproportionate effects on Black, Latinx, and immigrant students.
- Describes feeling like entering a jail due to school police presence
- Calls for $100 million to be redirected from vacant school cop positions to supportive programs
- Shares personal aspirations of becoming an immigration lawyer and urges protection for young people
Dere Ba
7:16:49
Good afternoon.
7:16:50
My name is Dere Ba.
7:16:51
I am a high school sophomore and a leader at Make the Road New York and the Urban Youth Collaborative.
7:16:56
Council member Williams represents where I live in Jamaica and council member Julian Julie Menon represents the area where I go to school.
7:17:04
Thank you for the opportunity to share my testimony today.
7:17:07
There are six schools in my building.
7:17:09
The majority of students walk through a main entrance where the first people they see every morning are school cops.
7:17:15
It feels like I'm walking into jail.
7:17:17
Their presence makes me feel like I've done something wrong or that I'm in trouble.
7:17:21
I shouldn't have to feel this way.
7:17:23
I come to school to learn, I want to feel like I belong here, but having school cops around make makes me feel second guess makes me second guess.
7:17:32
Is this really a school?
7:17:34
We know that the communities with the most resources are the safest and that includes our schools.
7:17:40
Our schools don't need school police.
7:17:42
We need resources for mental health support, restorative justice, and student success centers.
7:17:48
Having cops inside of my school makes me feel that people come sorry.
7:17:55
Having cops in my school makes me feel that people that come from my background are dangerous and need more surveillance, that's racist.
7:18:02
Black students like me and immigrant students are capable of achieving amazing things, we just need genuine support and resources to grow.
7:18:09
Instead of wasting money on school cops, we need to invest money in real school safety like restorative justice and mental health support.
7:18:16
This isn't just about money but about the direct harm caused by school police.
7:18:21
School police escalate conflicts and disproportionately punish black and latinx students.
7:18:29
There is no proof that school police prevent conflict in our schools.
7:18:33
Even worse for immigrant students like me, any interactions with school police can be life changing.
7:18:38
With the increased presence of ICE in our communities and the city's cooperation with immigrants authorities, school police are driving the school to deportation pipeline.
7:18:49
I don't want to worry about I don't wanna worry that any day in school could lead to be separated from my family or derailed from my dreams, but this is the reality I'm living.
7:18:58
All young people deserve to feel safe in school regardless of their immigration status.
7:19:03
The New York City budget prioritizes funding school police instead of fully funding my education.
7:19:09
My school's roof's been leaking water when it rains and we have to use buckets to catch the water.
7:19:15
The water fountain is yellow and gross.
7:19:17
Fixing these issues should be a priority.
7:19:20
The New York City New York City has the largest school police force in the country.
7:19:25
With a budget of 4,450,000,000, we are calling on mayor Adams and the city council to stop recruiting, hiring, and training school cops.
7:19:33
Also, you should permanently eliminate school police academy classes.
7:19:38
If we stop hiring new school cops and cut the current 675 vacant school cop positions, we could immediately have $100,000,000.
7:19:47
I wanna see the money used to protect and expand restorative justice, mental health, and other programs that we need to have real safety and support.
7:19:55
Under the new federal administration, young people and schools are under attack.
7:20:00
These threats are really scary and we need the city to pass a budget that protects young people and our education.
7:20:06
In the near future, I see myself going to college, going to law school, passing the bar, and becoming an immigration lawyer.
7:20:12
Protect me, protect the young people.
7:20:14
We need police free schools now.
7:20:16
Thank you.