S.C.A.R.P.

We, a group of Brooklyn NY students, were given permission by parents and our school’s administration to leave school in order to walk to our beloved friend’s wake. As a sign of solidarity we all wore the same “R.I.P.” tee-shirt featuring his picture.

On the way to the wake, more than 30 of us African American and Latinos students were arrested, detained overnight without food, and charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly - for no reason other than the racist policies of the NYPD. Some of the students in our group who had actually made it to the wake, were pulled out of the wake by the NYPD and detained as part of this attack on us.

In response, we have become politicized and active and have formed the Student Coalition Against Racial Profiling to combat the brutality, disrespect, and blatant racism of the NY Police Department towards communities of color.

OUR DEMANDS

1. The city drop the charges against us young people immediately.
2. A public apology from the Police Department.
3. That Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly commit to continued dialog with our community about police misconduct and racial profiling.
4. The 83rd Precinct publicly identifies and removes the police officers involvedin this incident.
5. The right to mourn with dignity! Those arrested were never able to properly mourn our friend. Help us create a community memorial for him that expresses our desire to stop community violence and to live with justice, peace, and respect.