Miami Youth Rally For Restorative Justice After Edison Attack

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Published on Wednesday, 19 March 2008

Written by Denise Perry, Power U

On Wednesday, March 5th, 4:00pm, Power U youth and others from Edison Senior High School will join together in front of the Miami Dade School Police Department at 6100 NW 2nd Avenue to protest the unfair arrests that happened Friday February 29th at Miami Edison, and to demand a completed feasibility study for Restorative Justice that was promised in January. This study and indecisive administration stand in the way of implementing Restorative Justice in schools.

The youth of Power U Center have been demanding the Miami Dade Schools to implement a program of Restorative Justice in the schools.

Restorative Justice is a form of problem and issue solving that provides everyone involved a voice, engaging the community in order to address the root of problems through dialogue.

Punishment, especially in the form of suspension and arrest has been proven to be ineffective and actually harmful, with high rates of recidivism among youthful offenders, and increased rates of dropouts amongst students. Restorative Justice has been utilized in school districts such as Chicago and Minnesota with amazing results, at times reducing suspensions from 30-50%.

The youth of Power U Center have been demanding the Miami Dade Schools to implement a program of Restorative Justice in the schools, starting with Booker T. Washington Senior High as a pilot program. They have been upset with the treatment of students in school as realized last week with the situation at Edison. The school Police promised to have a feasibility study for restorative justice done by January's School Board meeting.

At February's meeting School Police Chief Gerald Darling assured us that the report was done and we would receive it shortly. It has now been 3 weeks and there is no evidence that a report has even been started. Power U youth member Travae Brown says "We are tired of waiting for this report and being disrespected by the School Police.The violence that happened at Miami Edison shows exactly why we need Restorative Justice in our schools instead of police who don't respect young people, especially young Black people."

It is essential that Restorative Justice be implemented in the schools in order to decrease schools' dependence on arrests and suspensions as a way of solving issues.Restorative Justice is a form of problem and issue solving that provides everyone involved a voice, engaging the community in order to address the root of the problem through dialogue.

Punishment, especially in the form of suspension and arrest has been proven to be ineffective and actually harmful, with high rates of recidivism among youthful offenders, and increased rates of dropouts amongst students. Restorative Justice has been utilized in school districts such as Chicago and Minnesota with amazing results, at times reducing suspensions from 30-50%.

The arrests and beatings that occurred at Miami Edison on Friday were a tragic and extreme example of a systemic problem that is occurring everyday in Miami Public Schools, and that is exactly what the students were protesting. Black students are particularly impacted by harsh discipline policies and the heavy dependence on police to deal with issues in the schools, as they are arrested at extremely disproportionate rates. Edison Senior Chrisford Green states: "We didn't organize this protest because of just one incident. We just got fed up. That kind of stuff happens all the time here."

Power U Center and Miami Edison Youth will be joined by students from the University of Miami and by CopWatch as well as other allies.

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