Carey Wedler
November 24, 2014
(TheAntiMedia) NEW YORK, NY- A school in New York City introduced a new program last week that helps high school students deal with police. East Side Community High School invited representatives from the New York American Civil Liberties Union to conduct hour long workshops over two days.
Candis Tolliver, the NYACLU’s associate director for advocacy, said she visits classrooms upon teacher requests, but this is the first time she has addressed an entire school.
She was welcomed by the East Side Community’s principal, Mark Federman. Mr. Federman told the New York Post:
“We’re not going to candy-coat things — we have a problem in our city that’s affecting young men of color and all of our students.”
Like police across the country, the NYPD has been caught beating, killing, and abusing teenagers.
In fact, Federman commenced the program because students had complained about police harassment. Jason Zaragoza, 18, told the Post that he was recently stopped by police:
“We said we were going home…They said, ‘You’re lying to us — just tell us the truth.’ I was panicking, because I knew they could do anything to me and I can’t help myself.”
Still, Federman maintains he is not against law enforcement:
“It’s not about the police being bad…This isn’t anti-police as much as it’s pro-young people… It’s about what to do when kids are put in a position where they feel powerless and uncomfortable.”
The program advises students to be polite but aware of their rights. It provides pamphlets called “What to Do if You’re Stopped by the Police.” The ACLU teaches that citizens are not required to show identification or consent to a search but not to resist the latter if it is forced. It also shared that it is wise to remain silent when dealing with police. The hour-long workshops emphasized the fourth amendment and how to deal with stop-and-frisk incidents.
Of the program, Zaragoza said:
“[It] helped show me I can have my own defense against policemen who abuse their power.”
It is clear the problem of police brutality is at grotesque proportions when a public school–often a proponent of “law,” “order,” and “obedience”–is educating its students on how to stand up to these very things.
Naturally, however, police advocates objected to the program, saying the ACLU is “dolling out criminal defense advice.”
continued...http://theantimedia.org/new-york-hig...-police-state/
Site Information
About Us
- RonPaulForums.com is an independent grassroots outfit not officially connected to Ron Paul but dedicated to his mission. For more information see our Mission Statement.
Connect With Us