P O S I T I O N S T A T E M E N T
September 28, 2021
Louisville Urban League Statement on Police in JCPS Schools
LOUISVILLE, KY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021—As we reel in the aftermath of the tragic and senseless violence in our community, our hearts and prayers go out to the families impacted who deserve more than the knee-jerk response offered by the Louisville Metro Police Chief.
To that end, we are deeply disappointed that Chief Shields would suggest that a JCPS police force is the answer. Her comments, made hours after the 6 a.m. bus stop tragedy, more than insinuated that blame lies with JCPS and judges. These comments were insensitive, untimely, and unproductive. In her efforts to deflect responsibility and to abandon her agency’s sworn obligation to protect members of our community, Chief Shields cast blame on an education system whose primary job is to educate, and on public servants, with whom, as we understand it, she had not taken the time to speak.
Even if we don’t have all the right answers, we’ve been here long enough to know the wrong answer. Despite her claim, there is no clear evidence to suggest that police in schools is a good solution to anything. What little data exists at all on school resources officers (SROs) is conflicting at best, but certainly, there are mountains of evidence on the harms of over-policing, particularly on Black and brown communities.
Prioritizing policing over resourcing would be making a conscious decision to invest in a system that overwhelmingly perpetuates the cycle of harm while supporting a strategy that is proven to be ineffective. Any investment today should prioritize school-based and community supports, as well as root cause and systemic change.
Chief Shields must work collaboratively with JCPS and our Judiciary, as well as nonprofit organizations. This is what leaders do. And yet, many of us haven’t heard from her or her officers since the Justice Department began its investigation. This is hardly a recipe for success. We must all work together if we want to prevent future tragedies. And even then, we won’t prevent them all.
We cannot police our way out of this. We need more adults in the school building. A trusted adult with time to listen and follow up is a good investment for JCPS. Training adults on restorative justice practices so that in-school disagreements don’t spill into neighborhoods is a good investment for JCPS. Investing in support for trauma-informed school social workers and counselors is also good. When students trust you, they talk to you. We know this; we’ve prevented homicides and suicides in the past year.
We need to listen to teachers, principals, and administrative staff when they tell us that particular students are in trouble. We need adults who can intervene and consistently follow up with troubled students. We don’t need more guns in our schools; we need more time to handle the trauma of students impacted by houselessness, gang recruitment, addicted parents, and community violence.
In fact, if having a police force were the answer, our community would not be experiencing such a sharp increase in homicides and we would be forced to conclude that Chief Shields is failing miserably, and hardly in a position to advise. The truth though is, we know the answer lies in community, with parents, guardians, schools, community organizations, police, and you. In other words, all of us.
We’ve met with the FBI, and we know they will partner with LMPD to get illegal guns off our streets. That is good, but we must also invest in changes to systems that breed hopelessness, desperation, and lower life expectancies. With the achievement gap widening and the low rate of proficient students statewide, every education dollar sent to Kentucky should be spent on education. We can’t keep allowing politicians to legislate in ways that do harm.
This community rejected a contract that allowed for police pay raises without increased accountability. After all, we spent a year in the street protesting for change; the least our leaders could do is listen. Chief Shields should do the job she was hired, over our objection, to do, and if and when she can successfully execute her duties, we will entertain her suggestions.
As for us, the community, as Mayor Fischer said yesterday, we need to tell who pulled the trigger at that bus stop. We need to tell who drove that car. We need to anonymously report any information we have.
We are united with the business community in calling for investments in group violence intervention strategies, like No More Red Dots, a program run by Dr. Eddie Woods. It’s been successfully implemented in cities of varying sizes and can work if fully funded.
We also implore state leaders to draft and pass legislation that allows weapons seized by law enforcement to be destroyed. In many cases, our police department is working against itself to the extent that confiscated illegal weapons are sold at auction and end up back in circulation.
Policing does not ensure public safety. Homelessness is up. Rent prices are rising. Economic hardship is up. Homicides are up. We can’t police our way out of poverty. Jobs, Justice, Education, Health, and Housing ensure public safety. The data is clear. The needs are clear. The only thing that is unclear is the collective will of our elected officials to prioritize us.
