Illegal Stop and Frisks

July 31, 2020 by Guest User

Brutality is using excessive force and savage physical violence. Sad to say, but eight years later, after the tragic death of Trayvon Martin and many other black and brown people that have died wrongful deaths at the hands of officers, brutality is still very prevalent in conversations today. On March 2nd in Bedford-Stuyvesant, three undercover cops were seen on video (recorded by @lilomorton on Instagram) stopped and exited their vehicle to approach a young African American man, who was only walking, to say, once realizing they were on video, “you had a bulge in your coat.” It is saddening to see officers abusing their powers and more so saddening to see the immediate submission of the targeted young man.

The CEC district 13 meeting- racial equity and anti racism

July 31, 2020 by Guest User

Life is never equal, society is never equal, neither are our schools. Minority schools and predominantly white schools are treated completely differently by the government and our society. This is a report based on the CEC District 13 Meeting, which was focused on racial equity and ways to be anti racist within our schools.

The CEC district 13 meeting helped direct the focus on racial equity in district 13 schools and ways we can be anti racist. One of the clear components on racial inequality in district 13 is the level of proficiency in ELA and Math. According to the NYC Department of Education for district 13 more than 70% of white students have better proficiency in ElA and Math compared to other races like Asian, black and Latinx which had around 40%.These results can really show how the education system is failing other races and prioritizing mostly white schools to have the best results. In a historical students racial demographics chart for district 13 the amount of enrolled black students have decreased every year compared to white students which is the opposite. This is really alarming because it shows how little the education system cares about the number of black students enrolled in schools and values white students remaining in schools. In the CEC meeting it was brought up that 27 schools were economically disadvantaged meaning they are not getting enough funding and resources to help the students learn. This is something that is major that everyone in the meeting felt that needed to be changed. One of the key things that was talked about in the meeting is ways we can advocate for anti racist policies that will eventually lead to racial equity. Some of the ideas that were shared are coming together as a community to help talk about these issues regarding the education system failing minorities so there can be a call to action to stop this. Electing proper officials to help get more funding black, latinx and asian schools in district 13 schools.

—By: Mike Domingue

How to be Anti racist

July 31, 2020 by Guest User

“To all the black and brown students, there is nothing wrong with you, and to all the white students, there is nothing right with you, we should all be equal in this society.”

—Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

It has been many years, but racism still is prevalent in modern society. Everyday people commonly see it and experience it. There needs to be a change and it would require the idea of anti-racism. People and society need to change their beliefs and stop blaming and denying others. Instead, people need to work together to find flaws in prejudice ideas, voice their opinion, and create solutions to these wrongdoings.

On Monday, July 20th, there was a live broadcast discussing the idea of anti-racism. The primary purpose of that broadcast was to educate the viewers on how to be anti-racist. This broadcast was held by Dr. Charlene M. Dukes and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. The first step to being anti-racist is eliminating the words “not racist,” you will either be racist or anti-racist. Before this broadcast, we have never heard the terms “anti-racist” or “anti-racism,” it has always been “you’re racist,” or “I’m not racist.” Secondly, people should stop being in denial of what they are doing. When a person says something racist, they do not usually realize it; however, even when others tell them that they are, they deny it. It is crucial to be able to recognize your wrongs, as this would allow a person to see an idea without prejudice. It is time we change our mentality and the entire mindset of our society. There is racism in our schools, healthcare, police system, and even in our government. “Racial disparities in healthcare, schools, environment, politics, and enforcement, remove racial disparities,” answered Dr. Ibram X. Kendi when Dr. Charlene M. Dukes asked, “What would an anti-racist Boston look like?” Furthermore, another important question was asked during the broadcast, “Will 3⁄4 Americans see racism as a problem and find a solution?” Personally, we think that it is possible, we can see that according to The New York Times, “In a poll released this week, 76 percent of Americans called racism and discrimination “a big problem” in the United States, a 26-percentage-point spike since 2015.” This was posted on The New York Times on June 5, 2020, by Giovanni Russonello. If those 3⁄4 Americans are willing to step up and find a solution, we should support them and their opinions. Those 3⁄4 Americans could become allies or advocates that recognize the wrongs and would be willing to get into “good trouble." Finally, among all the questions that were asked, one, in particular, stood out to us. “What is
the most important thing to teach students of color about anti-racism?” Dr. Ibram X. Kendi answered by saying, “To all the black and brown students, there is nothing wrong with you, and to all the white students, there is nothing right with you, we should all be equal in this society.”

—By: Sashana Kinghorn & Wilson Zhang

Over Policing in minority schools

July 27, 2020 by Guest User

“By the very nature of the system of policing in this country, there is a culture clash between policing and schools, Police enforce the criminal codes; schools are supposed to be there to nurture young people.”
—-By Alliyah Logan

Our city wide Youth Council is made up of student Allies and Delegates from across NYC's districts. Led by student Committee Leads, young people meet monthly to learn about the issues, share their experiences, build projects, take action, and advocate for solutions together. Mike Domingue, a student who’s working with Trellis, had the opportunity to join one of their meetings. According to him, according to his report, it was an extraordinary experience to hear and interact with the youth. Over policing is an issue that major predominantly black and brown schools face daily and it is an issue that needs to be resolved. Read Mike's thoughts as he explains and provides reasons to his claim.

While interacting and participating in the Integrate NYC youth council meeting it gave me a clear perspective on how minority communities are being affected by policing at schools and also how there is more strict enforcement in the minority schools compared to a white school. Several examples are the issue of having to go through metal detectors everyday, police constantly surveying the school and security cameras. This creates a sense of anger because why do the minority schools have to go through this and not schools that are more financially stable and have a majority of white students. It is like the minority schools are viewed as a threat and in the process there are more stricter policies directed to them. This is completely wrong because it creates a negative narrative that the students in the minority schools are already criminals in the eyes of the Department Of Education. One of the core things that was talked in the meeting was defunding the police and start funding the schools more. The police department is getting funded billions of dollars. This is something that needs to stop. Too many schools have a lack of resources such as books, different types of classes available or any sort of electronics available for students. This makes it very hard for students to be prepared for major tests and other stuff and it creates a lot of pressure on them to be successful. I believe what would be best is to cut all police funding by a half and spread it to minority schools that are not receiving enough resources.

—By Mike Domingue

The Death of George Floyd and The Reaction

July 24, 2020 by Guest User

George Floyd was a 46-year-old Black man who died on Monday, May 25, 2020. Floyd was from Houston, Texas, where he attended Yates High School as an athlete and graduated in 1993. Floyd was a close friend to former professional basketball player Stephen Jackson, whom Floyd had met while growing up in Texas. He was also a rapper associated with the hip-hop collective Screwed Up Click, and he freestyled under the alias of Big Floyd. Floyd lived in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and had worked in Minneapolis as a restaurant security guard for five years. Recently, due to Minnesota’s stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic, Floyd lost his job. He was also a father. Floyd was a person in society just like anyone else; however, he died because of racism from others.