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Young People for Progress' Statement in support of Palestinians & Student Solidarity Protestors

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 17:01:20 GMT

Young People for Progress condemns state violence against Palestinians and student protestors. As a multiracial, multifaith organization, we believe that young people should have the power to live with dignity and thrive. This value is in direct opposition to the military and state violence that has been displayed in recent weeks and months.

Military, police, and surveillance technologies create apartheid in occupied Palestine and segregation in the U.S. Gazan students cannot attend school through an ongoing genocide. Students in the West Bank cannot go to class because of highly restrictive checkpoints and immigration barriers. Many American students cannot access proper education because of the school-to-prison pipeline. Now the whole world bears witness to these events, including the violent police repression of college student protestors.

The students operating the Gaza Solidarity encampments are courageous and diverse: Black and white, trans and cisgender, Jewish and Muslim. The students are motivated by a shared desire for liberation and justice, not antisemitism. To claim otherwise is not only bad faith, but inaccurate.

Historically, young people have been on the front lines of progress because we know what it feels like to be disempowered. We have a lower tolerance for injustice, so we mobilize towards liberation. Our struggles are connected, and state violence is a global issue. We urge our allies to support and amplify student voices, from Montgomery County to Palestine.

In solidarity,

Young People for Progress

MCPS' FY 25 Operating Budget Forum #1 Debrief

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 16:55:01 GMT

This weekend, YPP had a successful annual planning retreat! Passionate young organizers from all over the county came together to strategize our path to liberation: public safety for EVERY resident, not just the most privileged in our county.

On Day 1, we learned about the history of policing in the U.S.A. and analyzed policing trends that continue today. Police, derived from slave patrols, consistently criminalize and arrest disenfranchised communities to protect the private property of the ruling classes. We also studied the nuts-and-bolts of organizing by practicing 1-1 conversations and analyzing how important it is to build mass power. On Day 2, we built our internal organizing strength by reviewing our wins/organizational structure, planning committees, and developing strategies to achieve our issue/organizational goals. On both days, we forged bonds over food and fierce discussion.

We are so excited to fight for a better, more equal MoCo with our members in the new year ��

Testify for Restorative Justice at MCPS' Budget Forums!

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 16:51:34 GMT

The Problem: Thanks to our collective work, we successfully removed police from outside MCPS schools in 2021. However, MCPS reintroduced armed police officers in schools under the new ‘CEO’ model a few months later, and students report a return to pre-pandemic levels of police in schools.

There is meanwhile a continued need for culturally competent, fully funded restorative justice in MCPS. We ended 2021 with a partial funding win, with part-time restorative justice coaches in most MCPS secondary schools. Recent reporting from MCPS has shown that when implemented with fidelity, Restorative Justice significantly reduces racial disparities in MCPS’ school to prison pipeline. But with a significant lack of resources for RJ, we are far from full implementation of RJ across MCPS schools. In fact, MCPS’ own evaluations found that only 3% of schools were at a ‘mature’ stage of RJ implementation.

The Solution: The Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign (previously the MC Defund/Invest Coalition) is now organizing to demand increased funding for Restorative Justice in MCPS, to hire full time RJ coaches in every secondary school. We know that successfully implemented RJ will require buy-in form all stakeholders across the school system — and full-time RJ staff in each secondary school are a key step to make this happen.

Decriminalize Montgomery County Opposes Chief Marcus Jones’ Appointment to Montgomery County Public School’s Chief of Security and Compliance

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 17:28:56 GMT

Young People for Progress joins Silver Spring Justice Coalition and Jews United for Justice in the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign to oppose the appointment of Marcus Jones to Montgomery County Public School’s (MCPS) Chief of Security and Compliance. Marcus Jones’ former role as the Chief of the Montgomery County Police Department and 38 years in law enforcement makes him unsuitable for working with students.

In 2021, the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign worked with County officials to end MCPS’ School Resource Officer (SRO) program, following the nationwide call for racial justice in 2020. The County correctly recognized that policing is not the answer to school safety. In fact, studies show that school police worsen the likelihood of a school shooting and the school-to-prison pipeline, particularly for Black students. MCPS students reported feeling increased anxiety and fear when an officer was on campus. School police also do not address the root causes of violence.

Despite the research and after just a year of police-free schools, then-Chief Jones worked with MCPS to bring back school police under the Community Engagement Officer (CEO) program. This decision is harmful because an officer’s unique role is to connect students to the criminal justice system. MCPS can instead draw on professional staff that have trained for years, such as counselors, social workers, and restorative justice coaches, to work with students’ concerns. In contrast, CEOs are only required to undergo at least 40 hours of training to work with students. As community members and directly impacted students, we are deeply concerned that Chief Jones will expand the role of police officers in MCPS.

Debrief: County Council Budget Hearings!

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 17:04:24 GMT

Earlier this week, YPP, eight YPP high school student leaders, and community members testified in support of restorative justice. This year, we asked the County Council to add funding to the proposed MCPS budget, in order to maintain FY 24 funding for restorative justice coach stipends and specialists. The Council is considering cutting some RJ coach stipends and three RJ specialists in the upcoming budget, which would make it even more challenging for schools to transition away from punitive discipline.

Our high school student leaders shared their experiences with unfair school discipline and how RJ could have helped them resolve conflict and repair relationships with their teachers and fellow students. Other students explained how they already incorporate RJ principles, like personal accountability and self-sufficiency, into their academic lives, and how restorative justice would enable MCPS to incorporate these values districtwide. Still others shared statistics about how restorative justice is effective at shrinking the school-to-prison pipeline: 81% of RJ service calls last year did not repeat the violation and Black student suspensions in RJ focus schools dropped by 41%.

Next steps:

We need to continue the momentum by showing a diverse, yet united wave of support for RJ in front of key policymakers. If you would like to attend the following events, please email amyra@ypforprogress.org.

Councilmember Jawando Education Budget Forum:

Date/time: April 16, 7 PM

Location: Montgomery Blair High School (51 University Blvd E)

Description: The Chair of the Education & Culture Committee, Councilmember Jawando, will answer audience questions during his education budget forum, along with the President of Montgomery College and MCPS’ Interim Superintendent: Monique Felder.

Education & Culture Committee Worksession

Date/time: April 22, 1:30 PM

Location: Stella Werner Council Office Building (100 Maryland Ave)

Description: The Committee members will decide how RJ will be funded in this worksession. Come out and pressure the Councilmembers to vote to fund RJ at the FY 24 level!

We also encourage folks to call/email their Councilmember in support of our funding ask. You can review the call/email script here.

Restorative Justice Funding CUT!

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 18:10:13 GMT

Last month, the BOE voted on the FY 25 MCPS Budget. Unfortunately, parts of the restorative justice (RJ) program were cut.
Restorative justice specialists: MCPS retained all 9 full-time RJ specialist positions. Specialists work in central office to implement RJ on a macro-level. They travel to some MCPS middle schools to provide two full days of extra RJ support.

Restorative justice coaches: Coach stipends are cut nearly in half! In FY 24, stipends were funded at ~$600k; the proposed funding for FY 25 is ~$300k. Nearly every school has a coach that works extracurricular hours to support RJ implementation on a micro-level. There is a strong expectation that elementary school coaches will be cut entirely and secondary school coaches will face a reduced stipend.

What’s next? MCPS’ FY 25 budget is now in the County Executive’s hands, and we do not expect him to restore RJ funding. Once he releases his budget on March 15, the budget will go to the County Council. The County Council is our last chance to secure RJ funding.

We need to amp up the pressure! Luckily, there are a few opportunities to tell the Council how important it is to fund RJ:

Montgomery County Budget Forum: Hosted by Councilmember Jawando with leadership from Montgomery College and MCPS

Date/Time: April 3, 2024 at 6 PM

Location: Montgomery College Germantown Campus (20200 Observation Dr.)

County Council Public Hearings on FY 25 Budget

Date/Time: April; Exact details TBD

Location: County Council Building (100 Maryland Ave)

We will send more information and next steps in the coming weeks.

Debrief: Public Hearing on the Freedom to Leave Act!

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 18:16:44 GMT

On Tuesday, February 27, the Council held a public hearing on the Freedom to Leave Act. It was a great success, with overwhelmingly positive testimony from a diverse group of people–from legal experts to individuals sharing their stories. We heard powerful policing critiques from the LGBTQ, racial justice, and feminist perspectives. There was some opposition around rising crime rates, but we know that long-term public safety is secured through community investment (particularly through economic security and healthcare), not by short-term, tough-on-crime policies. We’ve tried to do that before and we’ve spent decades undoing it since because we know it simply doesn’t work.

Next, the Public Safety Committee will hold a worksession to consider the bill. We will notify you once we confirm the final date and time. We encourage you to join the worksession so that we can continue pressuring our Councilmembers to do the right thing and support the bill.

Thank you to the Silver Spring Justice Coalition, Jews United for Justice, Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America, the ACLU of Maryland, the NYU Policing Project, the Advancement Project, the Vera Institute, Public Justice Center, the Center for Policing Equity, Local Progress, the League of Women Voters, PARC, CASA, IMPACT Silver Spring, Shepard’s Table, the MORE Network, Pride Plus, the MC Germantown African American Student Union, and countless individuals for your courageous testimony.

ACTION ALERT: Call your Councilmembers to Support the Freedom to Leave Act!

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 18:14:15 GMT

Please email/call each of your At-Large Councilmembers and your District Representative to ask for their support for the Freedom to Leave Act. You do not have to contact At-Large Councilmember Will Jawando because he introduced the bill, but you can still reach out to thank him, if you'd like. If you testified during the hearing, you can include your testimony as an attachment in the email. If you do not know who your District Representative is, you can find out here.

Below are sample email/call scripts that you can use to contact your councilmembers. Click here to review talking points and contact information for your Councilmembers.

Sample email/call script:

Phone: "Hi, I would like to leave a message for the councilmember."

Subject: Support Bill 2-24: Freedom to Leave Act

Email Greeting: "Dear Councilmember,

"My name is . I am a resident of (part of county you live in) . I am (org/school affiliations, e.g., member/secretary of the MC Democrats Club, Young People for Progress, etc.). I ask that the councilmember support Bill 2-24: the Freedom to Leave Act. I think it's important because ____ . (optional--- a personal experience I would like to share is _ ). If the council member would like to follow up with me, my phone number / email is _________ . Thank you, and have a nice day."

Attend the Public Hearing on the Freedom to Leave Act! (Tues, Feb 27)

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 18:22:08 GMT

On Tuesday, February 27 at 7 PM, come to the public hearing and tell the County Council to vote YES on the Freedom to Leave Act! We will meet at 6 PM for dinner and can provide SSL hours/transport a tion.

If you'd like to testify at this public hearing, please sign up at bit.ly/freedomtoleavetestimony. Please email amyra@ypforprogress.org if you would like to submit testimony. We will provide talking points and help you write it.

The Freedom to Leave Act would ban consent searches in MoCo. Consent searches are when a police officer gets your permission to search your car, even when they have no reason to suspect that you’ve done a crime.

Consent searches are a high-cost, low-reward tool. in FY18-FY22, Black drivers made up 30% of traffic stops but Black people made up 18% of the population. In MoCo, less than .5% of traffic stop searches led to a gun recovery. Banning consent searches will remove one of the reasons that officers stop drivers, rebuild community trust with the police, and reduce racial disparities in traffic enforcement.

Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign's Statement in Support of the Freedom to Leave Act

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 18:36:02 GMT

Young People for Progress joins Silver Spring Justice Coalition and Jews United for Justice in the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign to oppose the appointment of Marcus Jones to Montgomery County Public School’s (MCPS) Chief of Security and Compliance. Marcus Jones’ former role as the Chief of the Montgomery County Police Department and 38 years in law enforcement makes him unsuitable for working with students.

In 2021, the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign worked with County officials to end MCPS’ School Resource Officer (SRO) program, following the nationwide call for racial justice in 2020. The County correctly recognized that policing is not the answer to school safety. In fact, studies show that school police worsen the likelihood of a school shooting and the school-to-prison pipeline, particularly for Black students. MCPS students reported feeling increased anxiety and fear when an officer was on campus. School police also do not address the root causes of violence.

Despite the research and after just a year of police-free schools, then-Chief Jones worked with MCPS to bring back school police under the Community Engagement Officer (CEO) program. This decision is harmful because an officer’s unique role is to connect students to the criminal justice system. MCPS can instead draw on professional staff that have trained for years, such as counselors, social workers, and restorative justice coaches, to work with students’ concerns. In contrast, CEOs are only required to undergo at least 40 hours of training to work with students. As community members and directly impacted students, we are deeply concerned that Chief Jones will expand the role of police officers in MCPS.

YPP Letter on ELEFA Draft MCPD Report

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 14:21:33 GMT

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Effective Law Enforcement for All (ELEFA) conducted an audit on the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD). Silver Spring Justice Coalition (SSJC) recently submitted a letter in response to the audit. Young People for Progress fully endorses the improvements proposed by SSJC.

In our own letter , we highlight two important issues regarding young people and police.

Traffic stops do not need to be a police function. Traffic stops are the most common way civilians interact with police, especially for Black drivers. Traffic enforcement could be handled by a civilian agency, such as the Department of Transportation.
Police should not be in schools. There is no security rationale for police in schools and they are detrimental to a student’s well-being, especially for Black and Latino students. Funding for the CEO program should be reallocated to the other reforms mentioned in the report.

You can read the full letter below.

October 3, 2022

David L. Douglass

Ashley Brown Burns

Effective Law Enforcement for All

Re: ELEFA’s audit of Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD)

Dear Mr. Douglass and Dr. Burns,

On behalf of the youth and young adult members throughout Montgomery County who make up Young People for Progress, I write to share our observations on ELEFA’s draft final report evaluating MCPD. Young People for Progress fully endorses the improvements proposed by the Silver Spring Justice Coalition in its recent letter and we trust you will consider them carefully; adopting these recommendations will strengthen the report so that it can be a more useful tool for advancing public safety in the county.

In the present letter, I wish to highlight two issues that are of particular importance to young people in the county: removing police from schools and from traffic enforcement. After considering the points below, we hope you will revise the draft to recommend that police not be involved in either of t hese matters.

Police should not be in schools

If the county aspires to be a place where everyone feels safe, then armed police officers cannot be a fixture in our schools. Police officers’ effect on many students is to make them feel less safe, not more so, and this is true whether they are called School Resource Officers, Community Engagement Officers, or any other title. These students’ anxiety is grounded in the reality of racially disparate treatment by police, and this reality is not negated by the friendly demeanor of an individual CEO. Schools should be protective environments where all students feel at ease and can focus on learning; hosting police works against that goal.

Not only is the CEO program detrimental to many students' emotional well-being, but there is also no security rationale for it. CEOs serve no beneficial law enforcement function that cannot be performed equally well (or better) by having police respond when needed. The current memorandum of understanding between MCPS and MCPD recognizes that officers should take the lead only in a narrow, enumerated set of critical incidents; fortunately, these situations are very rare in MCPS, so there is no need for police to maintain offices in schools. in practice, regardless of any policy, officers’ regular presence in schools leads to police being involved in issues best h andled by educators, thus unnecessarily criminalizing Black and brown kids (and high schoolers are indeed kids) with lifelong repercussions.

While it is encouraging, as noted in SSJC’s letter, that Mr. Douglass recognizes the current CEO 2.0 program as a disappointment, that assessment should be stated in ELEFA’s report. Furthermore, given the harms that this program causes, we hope you will advise MCPD to discontinue the CEO program and reallocate those resources towards implementation of the other reforms recommended in your report.

Traffic stops do not need to be a police function

Reducing people’s involuntary interactions with police is a reliable way to reduce the risk of problematic incidents by police. Since traffic stops are the most common type of encounter b etween the public and police, removing that task from police would go a long way towards making drivers of color feel safer in Montgomery County. Given the draft’s laudatory review of how traffic stops are conducted, we are concerned that the authors do not appreciate the extent to which the very act of being stopped is a fearsome experience, particularly for Black drivers and especially younger Black drivers.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Traffic enforcement could be handled by a civilian agency, such as the Department of Transportation. Civilian employees enforce plenty of laws and regulations every day and there is no reason that traffic laws could not be among them. We encourage ELEFA to recommend that the functions of MCPD’s Traffic Operations Division be moved outside the police department.

Young People for Progress appreciates the opportunity to provide input on this report and we look forward to your expanded consultation with the community as this process moves ahead.

Sincerely,

Alexander Blocker

Vice President, Young People for Progress

Copy: County Executive Marc Elrich

Members of the County Council

2021 YPP Fellow: Omodamola Williams

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:36:10 GMT

Welcome YPP Fellow & Program Coordinator, Omodamola!

Omodamola spent most his life in Prince George's county and was born Washington DC. Currently he resides in Montgomery county. Omodamola is very passionate about community development and social equality. He have dreams of pursing a career as a public servant to make a direct impact on society and to motivate others to be their best selves.

2021 YPP Fellow: Shelemiah Griffiths

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:33:07 GMT

Welcome YPP Fellow Shelemiah for Police-Free Schools team!

Shelemiah Griffiths-Johnson is a Talented and Gifted scholar who is currently in the 9th grade.

He currently serves as the Chairman for the Inaugural Bowie Youth Council, Parliamentarian for

the Prince George's Regional Association of Student Governments, and The Youth Member of

the Interfaith Coalition of Bowie. He was the 2021 NJHS Parliamentarian in middle school,

District 5 Student Leadership Council Member. He is a Varsity Division Debater with the

Washington Urban Debate League. He hosts his own television show, “The Shelemiah Show” on

Comcast 77 and Verizon 11 daily at 7 P.M. Shelemiah has won many awards such as 1st place in

the County National History Day, 1st- place 2020, and 3rd Place 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King

Video contest. He has been recognized by Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford for his

participation in the BIZ Kids Entrepreneurial program.

He is an inspirational speaker and teen activist who is a voice for his generation in the

community. He speaks against injustices and advocates against bullying. He has shared the stage

with city officials and elected leaders to speak against police brutality. Shelemiah takes time out

to support marches to evoke change in education and against racial injustices. In his spare time,

he enjoys playing video games. He also loves competitive swimming, art, cooking healthy meals,

and traveling. Shelemiah aspires to be a Chemical Engineer, but says that may change as his love

for Tech is growing.

At heart, Shelemiah loves serving his community. His philanthropic works include feeding the

homeless, working with his Destination Imagination team to fill the local food pantry, kind acts

for children with cancer at Children's hospital, and sharing his love for STEM by teaching

students in the community. His most memorable act of service was to fly to Puerto Rico to help

the homeless and volunteer at an all-boys shelter. He is dedicated to using his voice as a catalyst

of change, via speaking at marches and sitting on panels that address issues for students who are

marginalized and face numerous challenges, especially those of color. Shelemiah enjoys doing

things that bring all communities together.

2021 YPP Fellow: Stanly Mejame

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:29:24 GMT

Welcome YPP Fellow Stanly for the Police-Traffic team!

Am Stanly Emadione Mejame,33 years old of Cameroonian origin ,an asylum seeker and a new YPP fellow.I believe in the power of diversity and unity.I run by mostly two core values justice and equality for all irrespective of their race,colour,religion, political affiliation or social group.Yes!!!! together we can do all things by the special grace of God.

2021 YPP Fellow: Sophia Gupman

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:21:29 GMT

Welcome YPP Fellow Sophia for Police-Free Schools team!

Hi, my name is Sophia Renee Gupman. I am a junior at Northwood High School. I enjoy doing theatre both inside and outside of school. When not doing theatre, I enjoy doing arts of all sorts, especially fiber arts. I am also a member of Montgomery County Rabbit 4H club. I raise mini lops and love working with animals.

2021 YPP Fellow: Jennifer Okosun

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:17:00 GMT

Welcome Jennifer as a YPP Fellow for Police-Free Schools!

Jennifer Okosun is a dedicated and passionate advocate on social issues primarily affecting African-American communities. Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland and an alumni of the first graduating class of Northwood High School since it’s reopening. She began advocating in 2012 around issues such as affordable housing, two-generational programming at the library, and police brutality. Jennifer is also the 2018 Community Action Agency Advocacy Institute graduate in Montgomery County, Maryland. Now, Jennifer is working as a Police Free Schools Fellow at Young People for Progress and excited to continue her advocacy work in Montgomery County, Maryland. She enjoys being creative through the arts and entertainment by painting, acting, writing, and singing. She also enjoys baking vegan cupcakes with her ten year old daughter.

Virtual Rally: Real Police Reform

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 15:56:35 GMT

Virtual Rally in Support of Thursday's Rally in Annapolis.

Young People for Progress member David Atkinson, led a virtual rally in support of the Annapolis, MD Rally hosted by the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability (MCJPA). Hear from fellow organizers and YPP members on repealing the Law Enforcement Bill of Rights (LEOBR) and the need for police reform, transparency, and accountability.

Preservation Over Repeal. Resistance to Change in Maryland's Fight for Police Reform

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 22:10:47 GMT

Sen. Jill Carter, calls the amendments to LEOBR are “absolutely appalling.”

Maryland advocates are keeping up the momentum towards repealing the state’s controversial Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBR) . Enacted in 1974, Maryland was the first state to adopt a law that provided extensive protection and due process requirements for law enforcement officers being investigated for police misconduct.

Since the May 25th murder of George Floyd more than 36 states have introduced bills to address the issues of police accountability. Despite declining trust towards police officers, critics who oppose the repeal believe that the Law Enforcement Bill of Rights is both fair and impartial.

In a recent Washington Post article, Maryland Police Reform Would Repeal Officer Job Protections , Clyde Boatwright, president of the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police’s November letter to union members is referenced, where Boatright expressed his concern as “we are in the fight of our lives.”

A number of police accountability measures are currently being decided in Maryland. In addition to proposed Legislation to repeal LEOBR, Anton's Law is another bill currently being decided.

“Anton’s Law,” named after 19-year-old Anton Black, who was murdered in police custody. Black died in the Caroline County town of Greensboro while being both handcuffed and in ankle restraints, Black was left lying flat on his chest and stomach while being pinned under the crushing weight of three police officers for 6 minutes.

The Public Information Act - Personnel Records - Investigations of Law Enforcement Officers (Anton's Law) sponsored by Senator Jill Carte r aims to improve police officer accountability and transparent by requiring that records be released to the public when an officer is under investigation for a criminal offense or misconduct.

Greensboro police officer Thomas Webster IV one of the three officers involved in the death of Anton Black had been recorded on dashcam kicking a black man in the head while held at gunpoint and already complying with the officer. Black’s family spent months tirelessly requesting answers about the death and requesting the release of body-worn camera footage, toxicology results, and the autopsy report. Their requests were denied until Gov. Hogan intervened publicly months later.

Anton’s Law would improve access to officer disciplinary records and prior complaints against an officer. For complete details on Anton's Law visit http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/legislation/details/sb017 8

The Maryland Senate committee signed off Friday on legislation aimed at a repeal of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, after upending amendments that the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jill Carter, calls “absolutely appalling.”

While the amendments are disappointing, the fight isn't over. Reach out to members of the Senate to pass the bill with no amendments!

Anton's Law Toolkit

Click to download graphics or click to Tweet

We Demand that SROs be Removed from Our Schools!

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 18:00:12 GMT

An Open Letter to Councilmember Will Jawando signed by a coalition of organizations

Monday, September 28th, 2020

Dear Councilmember Jawando,

Since protests erupted across the U.S. calling for an end to rampant police violence, it has become clear that the last place police should be is in our schools. Students, parents, and teachers deserve schools that are safe, accepting, and compassionate spaces for children. Children should be free from the inordinate and excessive punishment and policing that occurs when police are in schools.

No study has ever found that police presence decreases violence in schools, and the data show that in Montgomery County, Black students, students of color, and disabled students are excessively over-policed and arrested at higher rates than their white and able-bodied classmates. It is time to end the practice of policing in our schools and remove school resource officers (SROs) permanently.

Since May 25th of this year, unceasing protests across the country have been calling for lasting change to end violent, racialized brutality at the hands of police. This may be the strongest call to end racial injustice in our lifetime. The issues being addressed in this historical moment are urgent and demand decisive, lasting change. They require the permanence of law, not a temporary budget savings measure that can be easily reversed. We must not let this moment pass without making lasting changes to our systems of policing. That is why we are calling on you to propose a bill to the County Council to remove SROs permanently from Montgomery County Public Schools.

The call to remove police from schools is being heard across the country. Already in Minneapolis, Denver, Milwaukee, and Portland, Oregon, school systems have ended their contracts with police and voted to phase police out of schools. It is time for Montgomery County to step up and take action.

We have seen you join the protests and sympathize with our calls for action. We know that you understand the disproportionate and adverse effects school resource officers have on Black students, disabled students, and students of color. This moment we find ourselves in is a historic window for change. Do not let this moment pass without making this decisive change to give our children safer, more equitable schools.

ACLU MD, Montgomery County Chapter

ACLU of Maryland

Asian American Progressive Student Union

Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition

Bonimot Tzedek (Justice Builders)

CASA

DC Teens Action

Hear Our Voices MoCo

Jews United for Justice

Maryland Coalition to Reform School Discipline

Maryland Poor People’s Campaign

MoCo Against Brutality

Moms of Black Boys United for Social Change

Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America

Montgomery County Racial Equity (MORE) Network

Montgomery County Students for Change

Muslim Public Affairs Council

Muslim Voices Coalition

Progressive Maryland

Public Justice Center

Racial Justice NOW! DMV Chapter

Showing Up for Racial Justice - Montgomery County, MD

Silver Spring Justice Coalition

Sisterhood of Salam Shalom

Students Toward Equitable Public Schools

Takoma Park Mobilization-Equal Justice Committee

Young People for Progress

Youth Creating Change

Youth For Equity

Policing Demands

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 21:49:20 GMT

Defund the Police, Decriminalize Survival, Invest in Communities

Demands for Real Change to Policing and Public Safety in Montgomery County

Over the past few months, police killings have sparked widespread outrage and renewed attention to police brutality and oppression both nationally and locally in Montgomery County, Maryland. Our leaders have attended public demonstrations and issued countless statements and social media posts expressing solidarity. Now we are asking those leaders to implement real and significant reforms. We demand our leaders:

1. Remove traffic enforcement from police responsibilities.

2. Take police out of schools.

3. Engage in harm reduction, including diversion, decriminalization, and responding to nonviolent and

non-emergency issues with non-police personnel.

4. Repeal the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBR).

5. Decrease the Montgomery County Police budget.

6. Invest in measures that strengthen communities and prevent crime, such as homelessness services and affordable housing, workforce development and youth programs, free, accessible, and safe public spaces.

Organizations can sign-on to these demands here .

1. Remove traffic enforcement from police responsibilities.

Traffic enforcement by police is not a good strategy to make our streets safer. It is not proven that police traffic enforcement improves traffic or pedestrian safety. However, there is overwhelming evidence that police disproportionately conduct traffic stops on people of color and many of the civilian deaths at the hands of police, in addition unwanted searches and profiling, occur during traffic stops. This is a racial justice issue, and much of this danger, including fear of violence, arrest, or issues around citizenship status can be avoided if traffic safety is not overseen by the police.

2. Take police out of schools.

There is no data that shows police in schools make them safer. There is clear and overwhelming evidence that police in schools disproportionately arrest black students, students of color, and students with disabilities. This policing propels students into the school-to-prison pipeline. Schools should be a place where students are nurtured and encouraged---not criminalized. If we truly believe in racial justice we need to remove police from schools replace them with measures that better improve school safety and student well-being while doing less harm.

3. Engage in harm reduction, including diversion, decriminalization, and responding to nonviolent and non-emergency issues with non-police personnel.

Police intervention and arrest is the first, and sometimes only, response to many social problems. However this response is disproportionately done to young people, poor and working class people, and people of color. It also causes great harm, including physical and emotional trauma and huge negative financial, employment, familial and other consequences. Better and more just alternatives to criminalization exist. Alternatives to arrest for low-level offenses, such as trespassing and loitering, that have non-police professionals respond and connect people to resources and support are already highly popular and successful in Seattle, Albany, and a growing number of other cities. If we are committed to racial justice, we need responses that reduce the harm done to our community, especially black and brown people, working people, and young people.

4. Repeal the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBR).

Since 1974, LEOBR has prohibited civilian review of police and their internal discipline process, prevented any discipline of a police officers that is not recommended by a board of other police officers, and stripped taxpayers’ agency to decide if and how they pay for police leave and legal fees when officers are being investigated (and even found guilty) for misconduct. LEOBR needs to be immediately repealed.

5. Decrease the Montgomery County Police budget.

In the midst of a pandemic and increasing economic stress on our county, the Montgomery County operating budget for FY21 has recommended over $228 million to police programs. The capital budget allocates another $78 million, bringing the total to over $306 million. This includes new projects, such as an Outdoor Firearms Training Center, which is projected to cost over $5 million. It also allocates valuable resources to reforms (such as purchasing 200 new dashboard cameras and upgrading body cameras) that have been proven not to stop the police brutality that is rampant in our county and country.

Police in this county have not kept residents safe. Those mourning Finan Berhe, Robert White, Emmanuel Okutuga, and Peter Njang can tell you that. We do not need or want $306 million worth of policing. We want our communities to be safe.

We know arresting people does not prevent or reduce crime, but instead causes barriers to future employment as well as a host of financial, health, and other issues for the incarcerated, their families, and the community at large. We need programs that invest in communities and get a the root of problems so people can thrive.

Organizations can sign-on to these demands here .

Signed,

ACLU MD, Montgomery County Chapter

ACLU of Maryland

Asian American Progressive Student Union

Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition

Bonimot Tzedek (Justice Builders)

CASA

DC Teens Action

DMV Peaceful Protest

Hear Our Voices MoCo

Jews United for Justice

Maryland Poor People’s Campaign

MoCo Against Brutality

Moms of Black Boys United for Social Change

Montgomery County Democratic Socialists of America

Montgomery County Education Forum

Montgomery County Racial Equity (MORE) Network

Montgomery County Students for Change

Muslim Public Affairs Council

Progressive Maryland

Showing Up for Racial Justice - Montgomery County, MD

Silver Spring Justice Coalition

Sisterhood of Salam Shalom

Students Toward Equitable Public Schools

Sunrise Silver Spring

Takoma Park Mobilization-Equal Justice Committee

Young People for Progress

Youth For Equity

YPVoices: Collective Organizing is Essential for the Survival of Communities

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 19:14:47 GMT

An Interview with Danielle Blocker, YPP President.

Rachel: What was the first thing, like the catalyst that got you into organizing and activism?

Danielle: That is a good question. I’m not sure if there was one particular thing, or like one event at any moment, but I think gradually, I came to appreciate that organizing and applying collective pressure is necessary to make any needed changes or improvements.

Rachel: Was there any current event that made you feel that in particular?

Danielle: I think studying policy in college in some ways pushed me towards that. For a while maybe as a child and youth, I just assumed that certain social problems existed because we didn’t have solutions for them, and if we just find a solution then we’ll use it and things will be fixed. It wasn’t until I started learning a little bit more about some policy that I realized that we already have solutions for many of our biggest social problems, and have for a very long time had them. But the reason those solutions aren’t implemented often, isn’t because they don’t exist but because there’s not enough political and public will to do them . And even if you have the answers, if you can’t create political will and political power, having the answers doesn’t mean much. I wanted to learn how we can become good at organizing just to create the will to implement the answers that we already have. Because there are a lot of things that we don’t know the answers to, but here are so many that we do. If we could just create that will and implement those first, how much better off we would be.

Danielle: That being said, education was a big place where I saw that. I studied education in school, I thought I was going to be a teacher; and in education I realized that we’ve had a lot of answers to education problems, particularly educational inequity, since the 60’s. Since the Kennedy Administration. The United States has produced the most education research in the world, and other countries across the world have used the research from the United States to improve and equalize their school systems. But still, decades later the United States is paces behind because they will not implement their own research.

Danielle: So anyway, I say all that to say, the biggest achievements to equality in education were created in 1965, through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. That created Title I schools, giving money and resources to impoverished schools, set a lot of standards, and did a lot of things. It was sweeping. Every new education bill that comes up is just the government modifying the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. So, every few years they renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, that sweeping act that was made in 1965. They may call it different things each time, like when they renewed it under the Bush Administration they called it No Child Left Behind and made some changes, and the Obama Administration called it Race to the Top and made some changes, but what they’re really changing is a big thing that was created in 1965 and was a result of a huge mass movement, the Civil Rights Movement.

Danielle: So many of the huge sweeping laws that changed institutions happened as a direct result of the Civil Rights Movement. And we haven’t had a group of laws that has equalized things as much, since – because we haven’t had a movement since, right? So in the 1960s, we had the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which desegregated everything. And then in 1965 the Voting Rights Act took away poll taxes, and literacy tests and a lot of things to make it accessible for people to vote. And then in that same year, 1965, they also passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to equalize schools and they passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968, a few years later. All those things, education, housing, the war on poverty, voting, desegregation – we can thank the Civil Rights mass movement for all of those things. To make sweeping policy changes that drastically improve the lives of everyday people, you need movements . You need to know not just how to find the best solutions, but how to create the political will to make them happen.

Danielle: So I saw that in my studies and simultaneously I saw that in where I was living, Ferguson, at the time. That without your community being able to organize it’s hard to ensure that you can keep them safe, or keep yourself safe. The ability to have power as a community is so closely linked to your ability to survive and thrive. If you can’t organize well as a community, you can’t keep your son, Mike Brown in this example, from being shot and killed in the middle of the street as he’s walking to his grandma’s house. Or Finan Berhe , or Robert White . If you don’t have political power when people in your community are killed, there’s less that you can do about it. So political power and agency isn’t just a matter of idealism and making the world a better place, though those things are important. It is very much a matter of survival . If you don’t have political power, you won’t be able to keep yourself and your family from being shot in the street, for example.

Danielle: Seeing that I became very interested in, okay how do we create the power and the pressure so that we can not only protect ourselves and our loved ones, but make sure we live in a better, more fair, more just society.

Rachel: How do we get that kind of power in a society that tries to deny it to its citizens?

Danielle: Well, I’d say a lot of ways. We all have to participate in some way. By that I mean we all have to work with each other. I individually, as Danielle Blocker, I’m just one person. I’m not independently rich or anything. And you might not have all that much influence or might as Rachel Sieradzki. But when we work together, in groups we have more power and we can win more than any one of us can do alone. And that is the power of collective organizing in and of itself.

Rachel: Have you seen this power of group togetherness in action and if so, what does it look like?

Danielle: Oh yes! I’ve seen it on how we got seats on the Policing Advisory Commission for youth and young adults in Montgomery County. I see it in us all protesting enough to actually have policing reforms passed in Montgomery County, like the expansion of Montgomery County’s mobile crisis unit, to have mental health professionals and social workers respond to mental health crises instead of police, and expand that. And also, in this moment of the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests after the deaths of George Floyd and others, people are winning because they are using the power in numbers to make a substantial change.

Rachel: If someone wasn’t involved and was angry at some injustice and wanted to do something but didn’t know how, what would you advise them to do?

Danielle: I would say, join a group, first thing. It’s a great place to start. Find people who are trying to do what you’re doing and see how you can support.

Rachel: So tell me about Ferguson and why being there was so influential for you.

Danielle: For me, it really clarified the importance of organizing and put it in life or death terms for me. If you can organize you can make sure you can survive. And if you can’t, you can’t. That lesson of its importance is a really big one that I can’t unlearn. It was certainly an aha moment in my life.

Rachel: Were there any particular examples from there that can illustrate this?

Danielle: Well, in it I saw a lot of why many communities don’t win. Because I saw that movements are incredibly hard to sustain. They’re so much work and require so many resources. In Ferguson for example people protested every day, single day, for at least a year. And that alone was a lot of money. Some nights close to a hundred, maybe more, got arrested. To raise enough and get bail for all the people who got arrested was a whole operation in and of itself. That was expensive. People got injured during protests, got shot by rubber bullets, chemicals. People had hospital bills, people’s property was destroyed, people’s cars were set on fire. People took off work to protest every day. Some people lost their jobs because of taking off work to protest every day. People would pitch in to feed the protesters every day. People would come in from other parts of the city to protest, and people would coordinate and find them rooms and places to stay. All of that sustaining medical bills and injuries, bail money, jail support hotline so they can call to ask for bail money, legal observation and legal representation, food transportation. It takes a lot of money and a lot of resources to sustain something like that for a year.

Danielle: So it really impressed upon me that our communities need to be able to raise money. Amongst ourselves. We need ownership of that money and we decide how we use it. Not only that, we need our own organizations that we own and run in order to sustain anything that would lead to substantive significant change. Because how are you going to manage all of that without an organization? You can’t. You need to have your organization before something goes down, so when it does, you’ll be ready.

Danielle: You can even see that here in Montgomery County with the George Floyd protests. Because YPP already existed and had already been practicing, with a structure, looking into what’s been happening, there was a place for people to go who wanted information or wanted to know how to help. There was a place for people to direct energy, questions for us to organize for further things. And because of that we were more able to develop more effective demands. But if there is no organization when things like this happen and you have to create one out of nothing, it’s much more difficult. Some other new organizations that have just popped up now are finding this.

Danielle: Some of the organizations that we’ve been working with, they’ve formed after having some protests and it’s great but they’re figuring out ok, now what’s happening around this issue in Montgomery County, how do we store information? Those logistical issues can be a lot. They’re taking their first steps. However, being in communication with us, with an organization that already exists, really helps them. We’re able to say hey, we’re in meetings with these decision makers, we’ve been able to set them up because we’ve been working on this, why don’t you come along. Oh, you need information on this, we already have the information, let us share that. Let us give you some tips on what worked for us and what didn’t. Oh, here’s this big mistake that we made, don’t make it. Level of organization is so important, even for new organizations.

Rachel: That goes back to working together, doesn’t it?

Danielle: Absolutely.

Rachel: You mentioned before how survival is very much connected to political power. And also political power is in YPP’s mission statement, how we want to "provide political power to youth and young adults in Montgomery County." When you drafted that mission statement, were you thinking about survival or what was on your mind?

Danielle: I was absolutely thinking about survival when I helped to write that mission statement with the initial organizing committee of YPP. We don’t just want to survive, we also want to thrive, and we want political power for that.

Rachel: This is interesting to me, because I don’t think that people of color, especially Black folks, can look away from this at all. White people can look away and step back, they have the privilege to walk away and pretend it’s not happening. If you’re white and you’re doing that then you’re part of the problem. Because there are plenty of people who can’t and who have to face it every day. If there is anything else you’d want to tell people, especially privileged people, what would you want to say?

Danielle: I would say it is not only about surviving but thriving. And many of us, privileged or not, don’t take action to change systems because to some degree we don’t really think it’s possible. We think that we can work really hard and even so not a lot will change so what’s the point in putting in the effort. To that I would say, we can change things. We are already doing it now. We have already shown that this works. And we just need more people to believe it and join us and we’ll be able to do more.

Rachel: Like you said, it takes more people.

Danielle: Exactly, we have to use our power in numbers.

Rachel: Do you think that the realization you came to back in college about policy and structure has anything to do with what you do now?

Danielle: Absolutely! I would say that applies just as much now, as it did when I was first understanding it some years ago. That applies just as much to work in Montgomery County as it does anywhere else. As it does in Vietnam, as it does in Samoa, as it does in Tanzania, anywhere. Humans are incredibly smart and we have the ability to solve any problems we want to. The matter of wanting to do it and the matter of those people who want to being the same people as those who have the power to, is the big challenge.

Rachel: Wow, what a powerful note to end on. Thank you, Danielle.

Danielle: Thank you, Rachel.

Civic Action

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 16:52:11 GMT

Request a mail-in ballot now.

Know Who Represents You

Find Your County Councilmember

Find Your State and National Representatives

Know Your Voter Information

The following information was compiled by the ACLU of Maryland, Montgomery County Chapter:

The following information can also be found on the Maryland State Board of Elections website here: https://www.elections.maryland.gov/ .

Voter lookup

Ensure you are registered, find out your voting districts, and look up your local board of elections by visiting this page: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/VoterSearch .

Find your polling place

If you are not planning on requesting a mail-in ballot and would like to find your polling place, visit this page: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/PollingPlaceSearch .

If you are not already registered to vote, learn more here: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration/InstructionsStep1 . The ACLU Montgomery County chapter also has a couple of Official Voter Registration Volunteers who can help you or someone you know register. Email them at aclu.moco@gmail.com .
Eligibility information is here: https://elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/index.html?eligibility .

Request a mail-in (absentee) ballot

Request a mail-in ballot now up until Tuesday, October 20th, 2020 . These ballots can be mailed or emailed to you. Learn more about how to request a ballot and complete the online request here: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration/InstructionsStep1 .
As we approach the November 3rd election, ACLU Montgomery County chapter members will support those who cannot deliver their ballots or are concerned that mailing will not get their ballot in on time. The Board of Elections has informed them that they can hand-deliver mail-in ballots up until 8pm on November 3rd. Please let them or YPP know if you need assistance at aclu.moco@gmail.com . They will aim to have different collection timings.

Congratulations to YPP-endorsed Shabab Ahmed Mirza, new Policing Advisory Commissioner in Montgomery County!

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 14:37:41 GMT

Congratulations to YPP-endorsed Shabab Ahmed Mirza on being selected for the Policing Advisory Commission of Montgomery County!

YPP endorsed four youth and young adult applicants to Montgomery County’s newly created Policing Advisory Commission (PAC): Joshua Briggs , James Frederick , Shabab Ahmed Mirza , and Mark Vicente .

Of over 220 who people applied, Ms. Mirza was appointed as a member of the commission! Ms. Mirza is a seasoned activist against LGBTQ violence and Islamaphobia. She has a strong background in both organizing and policy research, and is committed to pushing for systemic change and solutions that create a safer community for all. We are so excited to see the impact Ms. Mirza will make on this issue.

Congratulations again, and thank you to all those who applied to serve!

As we celebrate, here is a look back on the journey to this point:

Policing Issue Background

In the Summer of 2019, after a string of policing incidents in the county, Councilmember Hans Riemer, At-Large introduced Bill 14-19 to establish a Policing Advisory Commission (PAC) that would have civilians on the commission advise on how to improve policing in the county. This is an important first step in improving policing because it allows us to have the research, data, resources, and legitimacy necessary to more effectively advocate for improvements in local policing. It also gives us clarity on what policy changes we should be fighting for. However, the commission will be effective ONLY as much as people most impacted by policing issues are represented.

The Young People's Amendment

Young adults (under 35) comprise the majority of people arrested and stopped by the Montgomery County Police in any given month. Because we are the people with most interaction with police (often negative) and are most impacted by the policing issue, we should be represented in any commission created to address the it. No decisions should be made about us without us. That is why we advocated to add AT LEAST two youth and young adult seats to the Commission; one for a person under 26 years of age, and the other for a person under 35 years of age.

In December 2019, we won. The County Council voted unanimously to pass Bill 14-19 to create a Policing Advisory Commission (PAC) with the Young People's Amendment.

Identifying and Supporting Applicants

Once applications opened for the commission, YPP members visited student and community groups and did extensive outreach young people about the commission and the opportunity to apply. We held a virtual townhall to showcase young applicants, and wrote letters of support for selected young applicants. Of those applicants, Shabab Ahmed Mirza was appointed and now sits on the commission.

Policing Montgomery County

admin@ypforprogress.org (Danielle Blocker) — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 13:54:08 GMT

YPP is organizing against police brutality and for police accountability in Montgomery County.

In some of our action so far, we have..

Led a successful campaign to win youth and young adults seats to the Montgomery County Policing Advisory Commission
Helped to identify and support young Policing Advisory Commission applicants
Held ‘know your rights’ and ‘restorative justice’ workshops.
Created the Police Incident Documentation Project (PIDP) to collect civilian accounts of incidents with police in Montgomery County, connect those civilians to pro bono legal advice and resources administered through YPP, and build the case for systemic changes to policing.

Collecting and Sharing Our Stories

We are working to collect and share our stories on experiences with policing in Montgomery County.

Share your experience with:

Connect to legal advice, counseling, and/or other support .

Changing Policing

We are pushing towards changes in policing in Montgomery County and Maryland.

We want to:

Remove traffic enforcement from police responsibilities.
Take police out of schools.
Repeal the Maryland Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBR).
Respond to nonviolent and non-emergency issues with non-police personnel.
Decrease the Montgomery County Police Budget.
Invest in measures that strengthen communities and prevent crime, such as homelessness services and affordable housing, workforce development and youth programs, free, accessible, and safe public spaces.

Read our summary and more about each of the changes here.

YPVoices: The Honest History of Policing in America

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 21:04:15 GMT

Growing awareness of the origins of policing in America, shows us that the need to dismantle oppressive systems becomes ever more urgent.

My Fellow Americans:

When I first joined YPP I attended a general body meeting where the members discussed the organization's goals and priorities. Young People for Progress had already decided to focus on police reform, within Montgomery County and on the state level. We were just trying to determine the right strategy. Throughout the conversation, I began to realize what huge odds we were up against. It hit me like a ton of bricks that day: We’re a group of young people, fighting an oppressive system as old as the United States itself. The issues we set our sights on, were set in stone right from the infancy of our ‘great’ nation.

Policing as it exists in America today, evolved from Southern “slave patrols”, vigilante groups of white volunteers tasked to enforce slavery. The first of which was created in the Carolina colonies in 1704, 70 years before the creation of the United States of America as an independent nation. The purpose of slave patrols was fourfold:

- to terrorize enslaved people,
- to deter them from running away,
- to chase down, catch, and return runaways to their owners,
- and to use cruel forms of punishment on slaves.

After the Civil war, the slave patrol vigilante-style organizations had morphed into Southern police departments, for the purpose of controlling freed slaves who continued to work as farm laborers, and enforcing "Jim Crow" segregation laws, designed to deny freed slaves equal rights and access to the political system.

If you’ve been paying attention to race relations in American history, then you’ll get it. If you haven’t been paying attention, please get woke. Racial injustice, oppression, and genocide is America’s big bloody heritage. This is the reason our police system exists. This is why it formed, and this is why it is so deeply entrenched in our society.

The crazy thing is, the police still act like the way they did on day 1, in 1704, when they were just a simple vigilante slave patrol, in what was then known as the British colonies. It boggles my mind how at its deepest core, almost nothing has changed! Police still arrest more Black people than any other demographic. Just like the patrols were sent chasing after runaway slaves in search of a better life; today here in Montgomery County Maryland, predominantly Black neighborhoods are full of police officers wandering around aimlessly, looking for something to do or someone to arrest. Meanwhile, predominantly white neighborhoods don’t have any police cars on their streets. Nowadays, instead of using the brutal torture equipment such as whips or chains that was once common for punishing slaves, American police officers like to get creative, and trigger happy. Deadly police violence is not new, it’s a tale as old as time coming back up to the surface.

That’s why it felt so hopeless to me, that day at my first YPP meeting. Here’s what we were asking each other: What can we, a small ragtag team of young people, possibly do to effect change against systemic policing at a local level? We want to abolish the Maryland Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights. We want to make policy changes in Montgomery County. We have so many goals, but not a lot of members.

Suffice it to say that back then, I had no idea what was about to happen. The signs were all there, a storm was clearly brewing, but I couldn't have predicted that it would turn out this way for our cause.

We are no longer a small ragtag team of young people. We are now a larger and ever-growing ragtag team of young people. Our resources are constantly expanding, and with them so are our goals. It no longer feels hopeless. The big scary monster of Policing, is only so big and scary because it has been propped up by systems of oppression for so many years. We’re working for a more just and equitable future.

- A Voice for Progress

Source: https://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/history-policing-united-states-part-1

YPP has 6 demands for the County Council to consider, based around defunding the police , decriminalizing survival , and investing in communities .

1) Remove traffic enforcement from police responsibilities.

2) Take police out of schools.

3) Respond to nonviolent and nonemergency issues with non-police personnel.

4) Repeal the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBR)

5) Decrease the MCP Budget

6) Invest in measures that strengthen communities and prevent crime

Members Appointed to Montgomery County Policing Advisory Commission

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 17:27:24 GMT

In December 2019, the Council enacted Bill 14-19 which developed the Policing Advisory Commission

Tuesday July 18th 2020

The Council has voted to assign the members of the Policing Advisory Commission. In December 2019, the Council enacted Bill 14-19 which developed the Policing Advisory Commission to offer enhanced oversight of the Montgomery County Police Department. The goal of the commission is to improve community trust in law enforcement.

The regulation requires the Council to appoint 15 participants to the commision; 9 public members chosen by each participant of the Council as well as 4 public members chosen by the County Executive (2 of whom are young people participants).

Additionally, the chief of police , or a designee, as well as the president of the Fraternal Order of Police, or a designee, will serve as non-voting, ex-officio members. Each member is elected for a three-year term. More than 200 applied to the commission and the Council interviewed 16 applicants. The Council appointees confirmed include:

Cherri Branson
Caroline Fredrickson
Jenn Lynn
Shabab Ahmed Mirza
Jerome Price
Justice Reid
Vernon Ricks
Nadia Salazar Sandi
Eric Sterling.

The County executives' appointees include:

Robin Gaster
Alicia Hudson
Dalbin Osorio
Jasmine Williams

Congratulations to all!