Ep. 78: Defund School Resource Officers

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EQ: To what extent do schools need SROs?

Guest: Megan Holyoke, Lincoln HS Teacher and shit-talker extraordinaire. Previous guest on IWL Episode 29 “Striking While Female”

We begin this episode by voicing our current thoughts on the #defundthepolice and #abolishthepolice moments. Listeners can rest assured that this discussion is not about any one officer but about systems. American policing is rooted in slavery and is now an integral mechanism in our public schools. To be clear, calling for a removal of police from schools is an explicit disruption to the school to prison pipeline. We are asking that the money spent on district partnerships with local police be used to fund social services such as counselors, nurses, social workers, etc. We continue to circle around the notion that white people continue to make excuses and uphold oppressive systems such as policing because they are afraid.

List of Resources Referenced:

The Trace: Do Armed Guards Prevent School Shootings

False Sense of Security

Arrested Futures: The Criminalization of School Discipline

Ed Weekly Which Students Are Arrested the Most

Justice Center Consensus Report

We Came to Learn: A Call to Action for Police Free Schools

At the Intersection Podcast, Episode 33: The Normalization of America’s Police State

Champagne & Real Pain:

🥂Restorative Justice Work

🥂The Advancement Project

🥂Minneapolis Public Schools Terminates Contract with Police Department

👎🏻White people who refuse to understand George Floyd protests

👎🏻People so set in their fear they can’t hear or listen to others

Do Your Fudging Homework:

Annie: Rewatch 13th documentary

Hope: Read some of the links above; listen or read Stamped from the Beginning

Megan: Before you go outward, go inward to examine why you are so defensive