Truancy Tickets Aftermath | Pre-Prison Diaries: October 13, 2009
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by Ashley Franklin on Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Pre-Prison Diaries: October 13, 2009
 Taking the podium to speak to a crowd of students |
"Pre-Prison Diaries" is a series from the Community Rights Campaign in which organizers, students and parents share stories and observations about truancy tickets, police in schools, zero tolerance, and other "pre-prison" conditions and experiences. We welcome your comments and your own "pre-prison" diary entries...please submit below!
By Ashley Franklin: Organizer-in-Training
Every week I go out and organize outside high schools, on the buses, on street corners. I want to share one story I recently heard from a recent graduate of Manual Arts High School:
I received a truancy ticket when I was in 10th grade in high school. I never went to court to deal with it because I knew my mother could not afford it. Little did I know, ignoring the ticket was a bad idea because the courts suspended my license until I turn 21. I am only 19 and my job requires that I arrive everyday at a set time so that I can be chosen to work on a construction project. If I do not arrive on time, I do not get the job. I am helping my mom out financially which is why I need to work. In theory, public transportation should get me to work on time, but it does not and that is why I decided to drive without a license. But then I was pulled over by the police and had to pay a major fine. So now I am back on the bus, but using the bus to commute to work is not working out for me. There are many times that the bus is late and I miss out on an opportunity to work all because of this truancy ticket.
This story struck me because of the long term harmful effects of using tickets as a "discipline" tool. Indeed, students must be accountable for their actions but I believe that relying on the police as a disciplinary tool is LAUSD not being accountable to their students. There truancy are not only an expensive price tag for very low-income parents but are also leading to an increased number of youth getting caught up in the system. Knowing that Black and Brown folk make up the majority of the prison population, these tickets are only continuing this cycle. As a Black woman and a product of a Central LA school, I have seen families and whole communities torn apart by the criminal justice system. I am more and more clear that these seemingly harmless tickets are just another way to entangle my community in this devastating system where ultimately they vanish behind bars.
Recently,we prevented the expansion of LA's daytime curfew law which would have allowed police to ticket on school grounds for "truancy." We must continue to build the momentum from this to now win a moratorium on ticketing. On October 20th, Community Rights organizers will be presenting at the LAUSD Board and we need your help...click here to learn how you can help!
Read more Pre-Prison Diaries :
Comments
On November 20th, 2009 Jackie (not verified) said:
I truly believe collecting stories like the one from the former Manual Arts student is one of many steps the campaign takes to appeal to the community that this day time curfew law and the ticketing of our black and brown youth further criminalize whole communities of color. However, no one seems to realize that an investment in our youth will hopefully snip the ties black and brown communities have with the Pre-Prison pipeline, the increasing drop out rates. As I'm a product of an LAUSD school, I saw everyday first hands the way schools use school police to "discipline" my fellow school mates. There's no logic in putting hand cuffs on a young girl and spraying mace in her face because she was an on-looker at a fight. Tactics like these force students out, but then are told to "go to school". We have to keep involving people in our fight.
On November 2nd, 2009 Jeanette (not verified) said:
Ashley, thank you for sharing this story with us. One of the most
crucial things regularly missing from this debate are student voices
and experiences. The school police (LASPD), LAPD, many school board
members and supporters of truancy tickets often ignore the realities
that students and their families face before and after receiving these
tickets. Yesterday, after watching the LAUSD board meeting about ways
to deal with attendance and tardies, I am disappointed that people
find it acceptable to ticket young people. This beyond compromises
people's civil rights and tears at students potential to succeed and
in doing so, pushes them out of schools and onto a path of crime and
prison. In the city's desperate attempt to make money we see that the
burden falls on the backs of working class people of color and their
families. The Community Rights Campaign's presentation spoke to so
many needed alternatives that would keep youth in school and
productive instead of tickets that financially burden families and
discourage young people from going to school. It's inspiring that
there are educators and programs like the Village Nation at Cleveland
High School that are really dedicated to their students and their well
being. It's time for LAUSD to end ticketing, implement these programs
and provide resources for our youth.
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This story is very interesting and since I go to MAHS it makes me strongly believe that ticketing is not a good solution for acts of discipline. Lausd should use different tactics so it well not affect students long term and bother them emotionally. Ticketing really take's a toll on students when they have to solve problems without letting there parents know that they have been ticketed. For example knowing that they cannot afford this financial burden just for being late to school and having to pay it off and making there parents miss a day of work is just a lot of weight on students shoulders and then later on in life they cannot drive and help there family. Being in this situation and having to wait until your 21 to drive and assist your family leads students to commit another crime for driving w/o a license. Creating a criminal cycle that really no one wants to be in.