Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

After Some School Districts Cut Ties With Local Police, Officers Remain

When Jean-Pierre Roberts entered Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., as a freshman in 2018, he expected his new school to be a safe and accepting place. But on the first day, Roberts was greeted by officers who ushered him through the school’s metal detectors instead of a welcoming committee.

Roberts, 17, said that as a young Black man, he feels uncomfortable by police presence in schools because of racial profiling. “As a person of color, I feel like I’m constantly being surveilled and watched in case I do something, as if they expect me to do something,” he told Teen Vogue.

The D.C. Council voted to remove police from local public schools last July during the nation’s racial justice uprisings by eliminating its $23 million security contract with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Activists fighting for education reform celebrated the 8-5 vote, but a year later, many say it didn’t do enough.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/police-free-schools-dc

 

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