Thread by @DrSamiSchalk

Thread on local #racist violence & what we do now:
Recently a white male school teacher abused an 11 year old black girl student, ripping out her braids. This occurred in #MadisonWI.

channel3000.com/news/madison-t…

I am out of town & unable to attend the community meeting about it today, but the anti-black violence & hatred in Madison is increasingly palpable to me, as someone who has lived there less than 2 years.

@AboutFreedomInc has been fighting to get cops out of schools for over a year now. Their youth squad attends every school board meeting to share stories & ask @MMSDschools to invest in youth of color & youth with disabilities not police.

A local activist Nino Rodriguez has put together this document explaining how policing in Madison schools over impacts black girls.
docs.google.com/document/d/1uL…

Despite this & other evidence gathered by scholars & organizers locally & nationally, the @madisonpolice chief recently claimed that the #schooltoprisonpipeline has been exaggerated.
madison.com/wsj/news/local…

I have heard youth after youth share their stories in school board meetings and online of being harassed & harmed by “educational resource” officers. Each one breaks my heart. Youth of color & disabled youth deserve a safe learning environment where they are valued & included.

Despite popular fantasies, police in schools do not stop school shootings. Investing in militarization, guns & policing over education, nutrition, healthcare & social supports will only continue to harm marginalized people.

See: m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a…

See also: chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-sc…

It is time for people in @CityofMadison, the so-called liberal mecca of #Wisconsin to not just acknowledge but actively work against anti-black racism & the expansion of the prison industrial complex (PIC) in our city. #NoCopsInSchool is one concrete step in this direction.

In my work with Community Pride Coalition (CPC), the group who worked to get #NoCopsInPride last summer, we have been trying to educate white queer folks about racism in our communities. We have made clear to @OutReachLGBT that we want a #Pride completely divested from the PIC.

For us this means no cops, sheriff or other policing figures acting as sponsors or parade participants unless coming as citizens, no uniforms or guns. This means shifting to a park space rather than a street parade to avoid having to pay cops (by city law) to divert traffic.

This also means actively & openly supporting groups like @AboutFreedomInc and #NoCopsInSchool rather than remaining silent on non-explicitly/exclusively #LBGTQ issues. Black kids & disabled kids are #queer too.

Our movements MUST be intersectional. We MUST fight for all of us to be free of violence & harm. We MUST act as a local community. How? First, talk to people. Make sure they know what has occurred & how it is part of a larger pattern of violence against youth of color in Madison.

Second, if you can, attend the Protecting Our Children Community meeting today (facebook.com/events/2304572…) or the school board meeting Monday (facebook.com/events/3992700…)

Third, mark your calendars for April 2 and plan to vote for @AliMuldrow & @amirilli, 2 queer women of color running for school board seats. They will fight for kids of color. Ali already works with @gsafewi, our state’s LBGTQ youth org.

isthmus.com/news/news/cand…

Lastly, share this thread. Even if you aren’t local, let people know what’s going on here & do some work to find out how your local school districts fair in terms of racial equity & whether or not police are present in your schools. Fight the PIC’s growth at every chance.

Finally, I should say I don’t have kids. Won’t have kids. Can’t imagine bringing black babies into this world. But I honor the bravery of those who do & I will fight for youth of color, queer youth & disabled youth to be safe, educated, happy, healthy & free...

Because they deserve it. I deserved it but didn’t always get it. We can make things better. We must. Fight on, friends. Every day, in ways large & small, fight on.