There's an uprising in this country because of police violence against Black and Brown people. All over the nation, hundreds of thousands of people are in the streets demanding cities defund the police. 

We know that police don't keep us safe. 

This nation spends almost $200 billion on police and jails. The only way to stop racial profiling, harassment, and terrorizing of Black and Brown communities is to defund the police. 

How does this relate to the movement for #PoliceFreeSchools? The answer is simple. 

As we advocate for the total removal of police from schools, one of the most effective ways to meet that goal is by eliminating school policing budgets and reallocating that funding toward means that actually allow for young people to feel safe in their places of learning. 

Take Denver, for instance. Last month the Denver Public School Board voted unanimously to end the contract between Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Denver Police Department. The resolution that the school board voted on calls for a 25% reduction of school resource officers (SROs) by December 2020 and the complete elimination of SROs in DPS by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, the resolution directs the superintendent to reallocate money used for SROs toward social workers, counselors, restorative justice, and other practices.

Research and the experiences of young people of color have taught us that police in schools create a toxic school climate. #PoliceFreeSchools are essential to the well-being of our Black and Brown youth. In order to create #PoliceFreeSchools, we must #DefundThePolice. 

Take Action:

• Black and Brown youth organizers have been fighting for #PoliceFreeSchools for decades. Now, decision makers across the country are beginning to take the necessary steps to ensure that the same police on the streets killing Black and Brown people, no longer have the ability to brutalize Black and Brown young people in their schools. You can take action by signing these petitions and supporting those doing work on the ground.
   
• Download our We Came to Learn Report and Action Kit. We know that safety does not exist when Black and Brown young people are forced to interact with a system of policing that views them as a threat and not as students. Our report and Action Kit offer a deep dive and analysis of the history and legacy of school policing in order to: 
  • Build the capacity of youth organizers and communities to engage young people, parents and educators around school policing issues
  • Aid organizations to build transformative campaigns and movements that divest from, demilitarize and dismantle school policing strategies
  • Equip communities with tools to access school police data and budgets, and understand the oversight and governance structures (if any) of school police infrastructure(s) in your districts and cities
  • Shatter current and build new narratives on police, youth of color and school safety

Recent Coverage:

• The 74: Police-Free Schools? This Suburban Minneapolis District Expelled Its Cops Years Ago
• Milwaukee Independent: First Steps of Change: Three Ways That Protestors Could Drive Policy Shifts On Racist Policing
• Shadow Proof: Prioritizing Childrens' Wellness Over Cops: The Movement to End Policing In Schools
• NPR's 1a asked, "Across America: Do School Resource Officers Actually Keep Kids Safe?" Our Judith Browne Dianis responded. Take a listen! 
• teenVOGUE: Over-Policing In Schools Is an Issue Black Students Have Been Fighting for Years
• U.S News & World Report: The End of Police in Schools
• Miami Herald: After George Floyd, some school districts cut ties with police
• The Washington Post: Resources to teach the history of policing in America that you won't find in textbooks
• Politico: Police-free schools movement advances

For more, visit: advancementproject.org/press