NJ Teens Protest: ‘We Don’t Want More Police In Schools After Uvalde’

NEW JERSEY — A group of young activists in New Jersey are calling for stricter gun control laws and more social services in schools – not more police – in the wake of the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.

On Sunday, youth members and community leaders with Make the Road New Jersey held a vigil in Elizabeth to honor the lives of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed during a school shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24.

During the vigil, youth leaders called for stricter gun control laws and more investment in mental health services and school supportive services.

They also criticized New Jersey’s decision to increase police presence at schools in response to the Uvalde shooting, alleging that it will have a “disparate impact” on Black and Brown students. Read More: More Police To Patrol NJ Schools After Texas Shooting, AG Says

The teens said they are well aware of the dangers posed by school shootings.

“There are days in school in which I wonder where I would hide in school if a shooting took place … I wonder what my last message to my parents will be,” said Armani [last name withheld], a high school junior who took part in Sunday’s vigil.

The young activist continued:

“What happened in Uvalde must never happen again. Police did not keep kids safe. We need real community safety. In response to the tragic shooting in Uvalde, the attorney general of New Jersey announced that there will be an increase of police presence in all of our schools. But we students and parents are here to say that we do NOT need more police. We need more strict gun control laws, more guidance counselors and support programs.”

“Over-policing in our schools has led to more Black and Brown students facing arrest and creates a school to prison pipeline in New Jersey,” the teen added.

• See related article: Petty Crimes, Serious Time: Plug The Prison Pipeline, NJ Advocate Says

Make the Road New Jersey offered some background to support the youth’s claim:

“In New Jersey, students of color, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families attend schools with high levels of guards but often inadequate support staff. Analysis completed for Make the Road New Jersey by New York University Wagner School of recently-released federal Civil Rights Data Collection reports reveal 4,517 Latinx students, 3,209 Black students, and only 1,596 white students in New Jersey attend a school with guard(s), but no nurse. Meanwhile, New Jersey approved $286,961,178 in categorical security school aid to districts across the state in FY2021—the bulk of which is poured into security-guard salaries that far outweigh districts’ spending on nurses, social workers, counselors, or even kindergarten teachers. Over-policing in the schools results in racially disparate outcomes and creates a school to prison pipeline in New Jersey. While the data is incomplete, of the cases New Jersey reported to the federal government last year, the state reported 664 school-related arrests to the Office of Civil Rights. Of these, 31% were of Latinx students (several points above their 27% proportion of overall enrollment), and 29% were of Black students (despite the fact that Black students comprise only 15% of New Jersey’s student body). Black students, and particularly Black boys, were referred to law enforcement at significantly higher rates than white students. Nearly one-third of all reported referrals in New Jersey were of Black youth, who account for only 15% of the student population.”

It's not only students who are pleading for less police in schools.

“When I heard the news in Uvalde, I felt devastated,” said Mariana Velasquez, a parent who spoke at Sunday’s vigil.

Velasquez, a Make the Road New Jersey member who came to the United States to flee violence, said she saw her own children’s faces in the faces of the children who died in Texas last month.

“Our children are safer when there is gun control,” Velasquez urged. “Also when we have adequate services in our schools. After more than two years of the pandemic, we need to invest in mental health and support services for our children. We don't need more police in our schools or more guns – that doesn't make us any safer.”

• See related article: Let's Change The Way We Talk About Mass Shootings, NJ Experts Say
• See related article: Young Activists Protest In Newark: 'We Want Counselors, Not Cops'

Send news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site