Chalk the Walk in Bay Ridge – BLM Protest 6/8
Look beyond the cute chalk drawing above. This isn’t like the other protests.
Read the details for tomorrow’s Chalk Walk in Bay Ridge carefully.
Let’s first look at who is sponsoring this event. See here
The South Brooklyn Progressive Resistance Group is sponsoring this event. This is not the regular Bay Ridge socialist group we know – BR4SJ – Bay Ridge for Socialist Justice group. Interestingly, on their Facebook page they referred to “contacting their senator” – Savino or Felder. (See here) They did not mention Bay Ridge’s senator, Andrew Gounardes. Why aren’t they holding this even outside of school in Savino or Felder’s district?
This group hasn’t been very active in Bay Ridge for awhile, as you can see from their Facebook page. They still have up the 2019 Martin Luther King Day Protest March pictures. This year, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day March that went on for years in Bay Ridge was cancelled.
SBPR activists want the NYPD out of schools entirely (in 2018 NYPD officers were move out of NYC schools). This is a movement that is happening across the United States, as the police in some areas are arresting or mistreating students. See here
According to this 2020 report, minority students in NYC are being targeted by the police. The report states that the NYPD, on average, arrests four students each day and seven students are given summons. Why can’t changes be made so summons and arrests are for serious top level issues only?
I think SBPG has good intentions, but I don’t agree with “defunding the police.” Immediate changes can be made to the way things are handled at schools. Why does NYC have so much difficulty making changes immediately?
Why has NYC Council not stomped out the systemic racism that is happening in schools? Mark Treyger is the head of the NYC Council Education Committee. Treyger has seen the statistics and knows where the problems exist. Why hasn’t he and the Education Committee taken care of this issue by now? Treyger could have had Corey Johnson add more counselors to schools where issues continue to arise. Treyger could have proposed for them to remove officers from ONE school where there were problems and see what happens over three months.
Some state senators have accepted money from the NYPD Gianaris donated the money he received. See here
The wording being used (“Defund the Police”) is purposely derogatory and counter to what should be said at this point. Both sides should be moving towards working together. The police administration has made steps to heal ties, yet protesters are still yelling, “Defund.”
NYC’s budget was increased to fund the police – they said the increase was for school safety. (See here) Years ago, school safety was part of the DOE budget, rather the NYPDs. Activists want the funding to go to the DOE, rather than the NYPD. Activists want the DOE to train agents to deescalate student situations.
I’ve worked in several schools in Brooklyn. When school safety agents were under the DOE, it wasn’t good. That’s why agents were placed under the NYPD. Yet, many of the people who are protesting now don’t know this because they were teenagers back then or they didn’t work in a school. One thing good about NYC schools is the SAVE Legislation which requires students to be in school and taught. You will not see the socialists or people who want to defund schools talk about this. But the SAVE Legislation changed NYC’s school system. It made it possible for a student to be removed from class, but not suspended from school so they still get an education.
I think safety for a school should be decided by the administration at the school. Why aren’t experts allowed to make the decisions about schools? They know what their school needs because they are there every day. Schools where students are being consistently targeted should be able to choose a different type of security.
In 2019, the agreement for the school safety agents was updated. It is called the “Memorandum of Understanding” – shortened to MOU – see the MOU. If it still allowed for students to be arrested and summoned, why didn’t NYC Council fix it? There are people holding positions in this city and not doing their jobs.
Prior to 2019, the MOU wasn’t updated since 1998. It’s supposed to be updated every four years. SBPR can help update the 2022 MOU.
School safety officers are essential in many schools. I’ve only seen amazing school safety officers who quickly make bonds with the faculty and students. I think most students will say having a safety agent at their school makes them feel safer.
I’ve known many safety agents and they love their jobs and being part of a school community. I would think parents would have peace of mind from dropping their child off at school with an agent, rather than one without one.
On Monday, June 8th, The South Brooklyn Progressive Resistance will have the Chalk Walk from 5-6 pm. Families are invited to chalk the sidewalk from PS/IS 30 down the block to its annex on Ovington.
I love their idea for a chalk event for Black Lives Matters, but “defunding the police” should not be part of this. Maybe someone else will have a Chalk Walk without the negativity.
The South Brooklyn Progressive Resistance used these hashtags: #BlackLivesMatterInSchools #CounselorsNotCops I hope the parents present at the chalk walk won’t be writing negative things about the police because the 68th precinct has been very good during the protests and working during this time can’t be easy. See today’s protest: here
Why not chalk up the Mayor’s sidewalk or outside the politician’s offices? These are the people WHO KNEW and FAILED to do anything.
If you don’t agree with this event, don’t go and heckle – there will be children present because they want to do the chalk drawings (the kids have been social distancing and just want to have fun).
Hugs,
marlene
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