Hey LAUSD, I'm Pre-Med, Pre-Job, NOT Pre-Prison!

In high schools across the country as punitive and pro-suppression policies are enacted day by day, the police and prison state grow. We see how something like student tardiness becomes a criminalized act as it is associated with so-called "high-time crime activity" or how local schools are increasingly using zero tolerance policies that have an ever growing net of "unacceptable student behaviors." These policies attempt to regulate student conduct through the criminal legal system and use suppression as the answer for local street youth gangs while neglecting to offer full employment or increased recreational and educational opportunities.

"Taking Action" High School Organizing 

Our intervention is to take low-income/working-class Black and Latino high-school students from Los Angeles public schools, particularly in South Los Angeles, Mid-City and the San Fernando Valley, and train them in organizing and campaign development (one of the best prevention/intervention programs we know) so that they can be the change agents within a system that tracks them into prisons and not Princeton's. We do this through our Taking Action after school club, currently operating at Westchester and Cleveland Schools with 20-50 students in each club. 

When youth are able to think critically, analyze their conditions and develop strategies for changing their society--that is violence prevention at its core. An organized, self-actualized organization begins to immunize itself from violence--structural and otherwise. We envision that this movement can engage and organize parents, create strong alliances with teachers, administrators, elected officials and the community at large.

Demands:

• Decriminalize tardiness, truancy and all student behavior issues
• End "Zero Tolerance" policies in LAUSD schools
• Strict restrictions on use of force by LASPD officers and an eventual demilitarization of our schools
• No induction into the gang databse by LASPD officers; end racial profiling in schools
• Creation of an Equal Protection Office in LAUSD to address parent/student discrimination cases
• Create a pro-active, mental health centered, non-punitive tardiness policy and increase ethnically relevant, student support programs
• Generate a new atmosphere among administrators, teachers, parents, and students that reverses the schools as jails culture and recreates a positive learning environment.

Spring Break Take Action

The Community Rights Campaign offers high school students a week-long intensive training on organizing, contact development and political education. Students spend their spring break learning about different current events, organizing on the bus, conducting legislative visits and/or street actions. If you are interested in participating in Spring Break Take Action, please contact Kendra Williby at (213) 387-2800 ext 23. Click here to learn more.

Mini-Documentary of Spring Break Take Action 2009