Personal Accounts

“Is the solution to less gun violence more guns, just with police officers’ names on them? Having all those police there made their school feel like a prison.” - Tifanny Burks

“I had a lunch fight with a girl… we both were arrested by a [School] Resource Officer [SRO] for throwing milk at each other. We ended up diverted [wrote apology letters and talked about what was wrong].” - Youth Activism Project Student Survey

“Students of color don’t want to be viewed with constant suspicion and fear, becoming the targets of more - or more aggressive - policing in and out of school. We talk a lot about physical safety in schools but not enough about psychological, emotional, and cultural safety.” - Alliyah Logan and Abe Rothstein, Teen Activist Project

“I have observed that teachers and admin that resort to calling school police are usually those that lack patience, or experience with students of color, or the ability/skills to deescalate a situation verbally, and prefer exert their power over a student. It has lead a continual decline in trust in the entire police system, and perpetuates the school to prison pipeline.” - Youth Activism Project Adult Survey