Fighting for Real Sanctuary Schools

February 21st 2017 – Youth Leader Tami spoke at NYC Youth Rally to End Summons and Arrests in Schools: “Many are calling for “sanctuary” schools. However we cannot have “sanctuary” schools unless all youth in our schools and communities are safe regardless of race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, immigration status, age, religion, and ability. That is why we are here today to demand an end to arrests and summons for all youth and an end to the criminalization of our communities!”

The new administration continues to pass policies that aggressively criminalize and dehumanize communities of color, escalates its persecution of immigrant communities and begins its call for “law and order” in Black communities. We need New York City to design policies that recognize our humanity and dignity. We need to end the over policing of students by ending arrests and summons for non-criminal violations and misdemeanors to ensure no student is torn away from their family or community. The conditions have changed, making undocumented students, and students without permanent status extremely vulnerable to be torn away from their families for any interaction with the police and criminal legal system. Ending arrests and summons is a beginning for what must be a total divestment from school policing.