In one of those peculiar moments in local government, that seem endemic in this atmosphere, what some are calling the “new normal” world of race and pandemics, the Chicago City Council decided to renew the $33 million dollar contract with the Chicago Police Department that places police in many of the city schools, despite ongoing controversy,and where there have been more than 2,354 complaints against the officers, and a long history of hasty, and often violent classroom confrontations, that have pockmarked the schools, and given many students a criminal history.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, firmly, “yeah, we’re not going to do that” in response to questions from the local media, if she favored the city council ending the long held and controversial contract.
Uncharacteristically, she did not elaborate on the reasons why she held that position in advance of Wednesday’s meeting, only saying, ““Unfortunately, we need security in our schools.”
Left unsaid is that in Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle, these contracts have been suspended, or terminated in light of the abusive, and often deadly actions by their local police departments, including the death of George Floyd.
With violent incidents abounding, and the mayor usually so vociferous in her condemnation of violence in a school district that is predominately black, and brown; her silence is deafening, and many of her critics, and supporters alike, are thinking that she feels the CPD presence might save the lives of students in a possible Parkland, or Columbine like attack.
Yet, she did not say that, and after her long tussle with the Chicago Teachers Union, over contract negotiations last fall, many are saying that both sides, but especially the CTU, is sharpening their knives for another bare knuckle fight, for some foreseeable fight.
But, as the “good book” noted, “all politics is local”, and with America on edge, over the murders of George Floyd and Rayshaard Brooks, in Minneapolis and Atlanta, nerves are on edge.
What is known since the program of School Resource Officers has begun, is that the once ideological underpinnings of an “Officer Friendly” program in 1966, which began even earlier in Flint, Mich. (in 1953), was designed to give a community focus has disintegrated into one where students have often been thrown into gulag like detention rooms for such “crimes” as wanting to retrieve a forgotten coat, from a classroom, or in a much publicized case, where officers threw a female student to the ground for refusing to give up her cellphone, after talking in class, that made national news with the airing of the videotaped confrontation..
This is clear indication that this is a huge problem, not just in Chicago, but in other cities as well, and it’s also painfully evident that these officers have been often improperly used by teachers not equipped to handle adolescent behavior, and have been too quick to call the school cops that are not trained to handle criminals, and not kids that are talking back and being sassy.
Historically, from 1990 to 1991 there were 9,882 arrests made in American Schools. And, from 2012 to 2016, there were $2 million in misconduct settlements, on or off school grounds noted the Shriver Center in a 2017 report.
Lightfoot has said that she wants the local school councils to decide for themselves, yet this Pilate like move, also belies that last year when the LSC’s, as they are known, voted in favor, they were offered no alternatives, and had very little information going into the vote.
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| Mayor Lightfoot |
That action, from her predecessor, is an old Washington trick: give a short timeline to gather information, and then, without offering an alternative, say in effect, “C’mon we are giving you the freedom to vote, so do it.” and then, of course, there is the resulting announcement that makes the evening news.
With 72 out of 93 Chicago high schools that have two police officers assigned, and a student body that has 40 percent black and 45 percent Latinx students, contact cards are issued by the police to document the “contacts” with students, said the report and notably Chicago has had four times the amount of these documentations, than their counterparts in New York.
Currently, there are 144 school resource officers in Chicago schools,and 66 percent of the police contacts are with black students, but they are only 36 percent of the student population; and, with incidents involving black girls, several times higher than white girls.
What has been left largely unsaid is that these contacts can create a record of criminality, in combination with other student choices, that can further increase the pipeline from school to prison.
“Last year, a pair of CPD officers came under fire following an incident at Marshall High School where they dragged a 16-year-old girl down a flight of stairs and used a Taser on her. Police alleged the girl had attempted to bite one of the officers, but juvenile criminal charges against her were eventually dropped,” reported local station WTTW.
Furthermore the use of surveillance and record keeping that is not accessible to the public add to the fears of many parents, that their children will be easily marked for life.
While the Chicago Teachers Union was firmly opposed, and held demonstrations outside of Lightfoot’s home, and that of Chicago School Superintendent Miguel Del Valle, plus a downtown protest march, the narrow vote of 4 to 3, was disappointing.
CTU as well as some members of the LSC’s wanted to take the money spent on the school police, and use them instead for more counselors, school nurses and case managers, was met by a firm no, from Dr. Janice Jackson, CPS superintendent, said, if that was done the money would go back into the general funds noted by WBEZ in its coverage.
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| Dr. Jackson |
There appears to be some sense from City Hall as well as the school district, of the need for change, and Jackson has said that there would be changes in officer training and teacher conduct training, plus an adjustment of roles and responsibilities in schools, or to use her words, “more critically evaluate” the role of the SRO’s.
Some of those opposing the SRO’s have suggested using Restorative Justice, which has shown some success, in area schools, and that involves peer problem solving, the use of peace circles, and addressing unmet needs, among other techniques, that is not only cost free, but shown a 31 percent decrease in misconduct, and a reduction of school suspensions in half.
A possible solution might have involved a partial suspension, allowing for differences in schools, and an evaluation of the problems and input from the LSC’s and CPD, but this seems to never have been a part of the discussion between Lightfoot and Jackson, or not been released to the public, or parents.
Jackson has seemed to say, but not been specific on how changes can be met, critically, or otherwise, on an issue whose final cost has not been calculated.
In a 2-4 vote, the Chicago School Board voted to continue with the SRO program, on Wednesday, Aug, 26, but cut the budget to $12.1 million, and as an add-on asked the schools to draft alternative plans for school safety, that pleased almost no one; especially the students that demonstrated in the street outside their offices.
One of the dissenting voters, Elizabeth Todd-Breland noted that while deferring the decision making to a process using the LSC's that many of them, 17 in total, did not have enough members to have a quorum, and that some were barely extant.
As the Chicago Tribune noted, 73 percent of students arrested last year were Black versus 36 percent district wide, and many have noted that the "remain" votes seemed to be centered on the perception that black schools need more policing, but as we have noted before many of those arrested for minor infractions result having their names listed in police database records for gang members, giving a false mark against students whose behavior mirrors that of adolescent behavior.
For Brown students they compromise 23 percent of all arrests, but represent 47 percent of CPS students; and, as has been seen before the historical legacy of race and politics in Chicago makes for uneasy results.
Ald. Rosanna Rodriguez seemed to say it all when she noted to the Tribune if a decision as integral to the health of Chicago Public School students could be delegated. But, Jackson has said that the move is part of a "holistic approach to school safety."
Updated 08.28.20 2:30 p.m. CDT
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