As DC Public School educators, we reject the underlying message being sent through the "Secure DC Criminal Omnibus Act" that the way to bring safety to our District is through stricter and harsher punishments that disproportionately target black people and would make many daily activities of the very students we teach criminal.
We know first-hand the damage that violence in the community can bring to our students and school communities. Too many of us have experienced the effects of students, friends, and family members being victims to violence and crime in DC. But we need solutions that actually work, not legislation that will further increase racial inequality and do nothing to solve the underlying issues that lead to crime and violence.
The DC Council of Racial Equity released a statement making clear that if unchanged this legislation will “will (or will likely) exacerbate racial inequity in the District.” In particular they point out that increased sentences, pretrial detention and that portions of this bill that contain anti-mask provision and the DNA collection provision will increase racial profiling and surveillance of Black residents.
We categorically reject the underlying message that the only way to achieve safety in this District is to further criminalize the everyday activities of our black and brown youth.
The racial profiling of the students we teach is already rampant and has had devastating consequences of the trust in our government institutions in the community. We need to strengthen our investments in the community themselves to provide greater access to safe housing, jobs that pay a living wage, health services - including ready access to mental health supports, fresh and healthy food and the fully funded financial support to access it, and so much more.
These reactionary provisions will harm our students, our families and our District. We call on legislators to reject every harmful provision in this legislation.
We urge our members and supporters to: Send letters and make phone calls to the DC-Council through the Us Not Crimnibus coalition in advance of the March 5th vote saying NO to the harmful provisions in this legislation: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-dc-council-not-to-roll-back-harm-reduction-amendments-and-to-remove-the-remaining-harmful-provisions-in-secure-dc