Youth March to Break the School to Prison Pipeline

[Samuel Molnar]

Dear friends and allies,

I wanted to send you this email about the March to Break the School To Prison Pipeline happening this Saturday, March 23rd at 1:00. If you have been speaking with me recently you know we have been hard at work to make this happen. We will be using this march to kick off a campaign to end the funneling of black and brown youth into the prison system straight from their schools. Literally, students can be arrested at school and brought to a jail cell for something as little as throwing a pencil or a verbal argument. I hope to see you all there. If you have any questions you know how to get in touch with me.

Looking forward to seeing all of you....please see the appeal from one of the youth, Cheyenne Walker, below....

Sam

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My name is Cheyenne Walker and I’m a high school student in Detroit. When I saw the 2013-2014 budget for Michigan with $2 billion in planned spending on the prison system, I was heartbroken. I started this school year with seven classes on my schedule, but I only had a teacher in three. So for four hours, when my peers and I should learn Math, English, Communications, and Technology, we were hanging out, playing cards, and talking. Anytime someone “misbehaved”, they were given detention or suspended and when you aren’t in school, you are in the streets.

I feel our state policies care more about incarceration than our education. If $2 billion is proposed, shouldn’t some of those funds be used to prevent youth from committing violent behaviors by having more resources in our schools? Why is it that adults care more about enforcing discipline policies than educating us? Why are our brains worth so little?

On Saturday, March 23rd from 1pm-3pm the youth of Detroit will plan a YOUTH takeover. We will take over at 1pm and march from Cass park (2727 Second Ave) to the Wayne County Jail to demand resources be used for education instead of the school to prison pipeline. At 2pm we will propose OUR solutions and strategies at a local church, with our proposal on how to bring in more resources for schools, alternate ways of disciplining students for incidents to resolve conflicts, reward good behavior, and overall keep youth in school instead of locked up. 

Here is a video from my peers and I about March 23rd: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200169769020675&set=vb.226403850713948&type=2&theater 


Please join us and RSVP by emailing us here with the number of youth&adults you plan to bring. 

To stay updated with the latest about the march you can like our facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/YOUTHVOICEdetroit 

You can also call/text our adult ally Kayla Mason for more information at 323-378-7805.


Please Join Us and Share Our Information.


Cheyenne Walker, 

YOUTH VOICE Student Fellow