IT IS TIME (Classroom Connections) The Pilot Project; Spring, 1997

IT IS TIME

The Pilot Project: Spring, 1997

          

      IT IS TIME – CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

     IT IS TIME to create a world where people from different cultures and backgrounds will get along with each other!

     There is a way, through our schools, that we can engage in a project that has the potential to dramatically shift the social fabric of the United States and the entire world to that of a new domain – a domain of respect, cooperation, and harmony. How?

     Visualize virtually every school that exists, public and private, elementary and secondary (and some colleges), being actively involved in intercultural partnerships similar to what will be described in these next paragraphs.  These partnerships can exist with other schools and/or within individual schools.

     Suppose, for example, that you and I are both secondary school teachers.  Your students are primarily white and affluent; mine are primarily students of color and are not affluent.  Geographically our schools are close to each other, but the worlds our students live in are very far apart.  Our young people have pretty strong feelings about the other group, but their opinions have been formed without their having had the opportunity to REALLY get to know ‘the others.’   So you and I form a partnership.

A Partnership has four components:

     Preparatory Exercises

     In-House Curriculum Exchanges

     In-Person Exchanges

     Joint Projects

PREPARATORY EXERCISES (PE’s) - A series of exercises designed to increase the self-esteem of our students, teach them how to express their feelings honestly and respectfully, encourage them to actively listen to others, introduce them to the importance of honoring the qualities and opinions of themselves and others (while reserving their right to disagree), and challenge them to think critically about how they form their opinions.

IN-HOUSE CURRICULUM EXCHANGES (ICE’s) - Together you and I decide on an initial assignment to give to our students.  After the completed assignments are collected we exchange them.  My students read what your students wrote, and vive versa.  Each group then responds to the responses of the other group, and these too get exchanged.  And so on.  The responses may continue to be in writing (including email) and/or we may decide to use audiotape and/or videotape – or more recent technology.  This process continues throughout the school year.

IN-PERSON EXCHANGES (IPE’s) - Together we decide when, how often, and with what agenda, we will bring our students together to meet and interact with each other.  IPE’s may occur at one of the schools or at a ‘neutral’ site.  They may include doing a reading and discussing it, or engaging in an open discussion on topics that may have arisen via the In-House Curriculum.  They might include experiential exercises, watching a movie, or going on a picnic and just having fun.  (I have orchestrated more than a hundred IPE’s over the years, ranging in duration from three hours to four days.  In every case the large majority of students from both groups reacted with comments like “Hey, they were OK” and “I thought they were all going to be ‘such and such’ but they were really nice” and “When can we do this again?”)

JOINT PROJECTS (JP’s) - Those individuals from both groups who choose to will have the opportunity to work together in designing and implementing some form of community improvement or social action project.  This may include introducing an intercultural relations program, or a tutoring or anti-drug program, to local elementary students.  Or it might be a joint venture with Senior citizens.  Or something involving their parents.  It might be a Solution Plan, play, a video, a mural; perhaps a book.  The adults will support them and help them, but these joint undertakings belong to the students.  The JP’s will really break down walls and create an emotional bonding because students experience a roller-coaster of feelings while working cooperatively with young people from a completely different background – negotiating and processing to solve problems, supporting each other through difficult times, and rejoicing when their creation comes to fruition.

     WHAT WILL ALL THIS MEAN?     Consider:

If the partnership you and I create exists over the course of just one school year imagine the effect it will have on the thirty to fifty young people who participate.  The large majority of students will make improvements – often substantial – in at least one, and probably more than one, of the following areas:  open-mindedness, interpersonal communication skills, respect for and understanding of other individuals and cultures, critical thinking, problem-solving, self-esteem, academics, attitude, sense of hopefulness, etc.  And think about the likely spill-over effect that the students’ new awareness may have on their friends and family members.

And this is just one partnership!   What if there were millions of partnerships going on simultaneously all over the world?!  Not just between whites and people of color, or rich and poor, but Israelis and Palestinians, Pakistanis and Indians, Irish Catholics and Protestants, Americans and Iraqis, girls and boys, visually impaired and sighted, etc., etc., etc.

And not just one year, but every year!!   What effect would there be if these partnerships became part of the curriculum in every school in the world?!

     For comments, questions, or help in implementing this (no charge) contact Roger Dennis at 212-662-8781 (itistime.nyc@gmail.com)

(a representation of our philosophy)

IF YOU HAVE COME TO HELP ME THEN YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME

BUT IF YOU HAVE COME BECAUSE YOUR LIBERATION IS BOUND WITH MINE

THEN LET US WORK TOGETHER

                                                                      Aboriginal Saying

NOTE: Originally we were going to have two pilot projects going on at the same time, but one of the ‘white groups’ dropped out.  The school with which they would have partnered was Borough Academy (Bronx), another public inner-city school which was very similar to Grant Prep – i.e. an alternative school serving mostly low income students of color.

Although the Borough students would not now have the opportunity to fully engage in the project, I wanted to keep them at least partially involved.  I felt the essays they had written were very poignant, and so I decided to adapt to the new situation by showing their essays to both the Grant Prep and the Horace Mann students.  Unfortunately I did not document the Grant responses, but I will tell you that the overall feeling of the group was firmly in agreement with what the other public school students had written.

Thankfully I did document the Horace Mann responses, and so the following pages contain samplings and excerpts from what these young people wrote in their initial essays, and then what they wrote after they read the original essays from the public school students (which you will also get to read).

Also: This initial partnership was an abbreviated program because it began so late in the term, and one of the teachers had a very inflexible curriculum. It was much less comprehensive than most partnerships will be. Specifically, the first three components (Preparatory Exercises, In-Class Curriculum Exchanges and In-Person Exchanges) occurred on a very limited scale. We were not able to facilitate the fourth (Joint Project/s) because the school year ended. All this notwithstanding, we trust the following pages will still afford a good look at the potential this project offers.

*Actually, there have been thousands of somewhat similar partnerships over the years, because all this project really is, is a variation of the time-proven pen pal concept. Only in this case the correspondence is more topic-oriented (unless you choose otherwise), and the partner school is located nearby rather than in another state or country. This geographic closeness obviously creates the opportunity for more frequent in-person exchanges, and this opens up greater possibilities.

People keep asking about a curriculum. There is no set curriculum - not in the traditional sense. Each partnership is autonomous, so the two teachers involved will decide together what works best for them. There are a number of good multicultural curriculums available, and if you want to use one of them that is fine. Or you may use part of your present class curriculum - even if a topic is not obviously multicultural it becomes such as soon as it is being studied and discussed by different cultural groups.

Our suggestion is that you choose an essay topic or a short literary piece (e.g. a powerful short story, newspaper article, etc.) that is likely to be experienced differently by the two groups. This affords greater opportunity to see things from varied perspectives.

In another sense it might be said that the curriculum is one of process rather than content. It is about doing your best as the teacher/facilitator to create an atmosphere of respect, openness and honesty, in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe. The emphasis is on each student speaking her/his truth honestly and respectfully, the others listening intently and then responding with their truth, also honestly and respectfully. If you disagree with another's opinion, tell him, and tell him why. But respect his right to have that opinion. And then listen as he responds to your comments. It is not about attacking; it’s about learning from each other.

The ultimate reality is that the students are the curriculum. When the student brings her/his truth into the exchange her experiences, her perceptions, and her ideas and opinions are unique. No two people are exactly alike, so every student’s perspective is a gift. And no matter what the topic, the more angles it is viewed from, the greater the likelihood of discovering its truth!!

This project does not take a political stance. It is not Pro-Right or Pro-Left or Pro-Middle. It is not Pro- Black or Pro-White. It is Pro-Healthy Exchange of Ideas, Pro-Learning, Pro-Increased Understanding...

The most important thing is to do this project in a way that feels comfortable for you. Choose an initial topic that feels right for your situation. No matter what topic you begin with, the program will still work.

It will work because an overwhelming majority of young people from all groups are aching to feel more respected, more significant, more connected, more understood, and more hopeful.

THIS PROJECT DOES THAT!
rd

IT IS TIME: CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS



                                                 THE PILOT PROJECT

GRANT HOUSES PREP

and

BOROUGH ACADEMY

(two New York City public alternative high schools for ‘at risk’ students from predominantly Black and Latino impoverished neighborhoods)

AND

THE HORACE MANN SCHOOL 

(a prestigious private high school whose students are predominantly White and affluent)     


The initial assignment to both (all three) groups:

Write an essay on police brutality, answering these three questions:
- Do you believe police brutality is a problem in our society, and if so, to what degree?
- Have you, or anyone you know, experienced police brutality?  Explain.
- If you do believe it to be a problem, what do you think we should do about it?                                    

Explanation of Contents: 
Pages 1-6

Each page represents excerpts from the writings of one particular Horace Mann student - including the initial response to the question of police brutality; and then his/her response after reading the essays from the other group. The first two (pages 1 and 2) are from the only Black students in the HM group.

Page 7

Additional excerpts from the initial writings of the HM students

Pages 8-19

Samples of the initial essays from the public school students. Some of these have been edited grammatically, but the words belong to the students.

Pages 20-21

Additional excerpts from HM writings after reading the public school essays

Pages 22-25

Excerpts from the evaluations at the conclusion of the In-Person Exchange. These are from both the Grant and Horace Mann students and are mixed together.

(apologies for the inconsistent formatting that follows)



Horace Mann writings

#1... Response to assignment before contact with partner school:

1.  I think that police brutality is a very big problem for one main reason: who can

you trust if you can’t trust the people who have been sworn to protect you? I think that

it would be very hard not to abuse the power of being a cop and every potential officer

should be “checked” out to make sure he/she won’t abuse that power.

2.  I do not know any victims of police brutality.

3.  1 think that there are many possible options to prevent police brutality. I’m just

not sure how many of them would work. Screening possible officers extensively is a

must to prevent cops from going power-mad. Another option would be to take some

power away from police officers and place more power into the citizens.

The last idea is very risky, though and probably wouldn't work.



Response after reading partner school’s essays:

I think that police brutality is a big issue for everyone. Actually, I think that police

brutality is mostly confined to minorities. I think that for many white upper upper class

snobs, they feel that police are just as hard on them. What a crock! These people see

a cop look at them the wrong way and they feel it’s police brutality, and they now also

feel that they share the same experiences as minorities. Now I’m not saying that they

don’t have their share of problems, but for the most part they don’t even come close to

comparing. These people have no idea what it’s like to walk down the street and have

cops slow down to look you over as they drive by. They just don't realize how easy

they have it.





#2...Response to assignment before contact with partner school:

Police brutality is definitely a problem in the world, but it’s degree varies depending on

the geographical location. In America, the police use of excessive force is not an

incredibly violent and frequent occurrence. When it does occur, it is on the basis of

race, religion, and even age. In other places in the world police brutality is usually a

result of social status and the lack of means of expression and protest possessed by

the people. Police brutality is a problem in third world nations where the people have

no say in government as a result of their lowly social position.

No one that I know has ever been the victim of police brutality, but my own brother

has been unnecessarily hassled by the police. They have questioned him and

detained him while shopping in predominantly white neighborhoods. Is this because

he is a young Black male (The Great American Predator) or simply the result of

inexperienced cops abusing their newfound power?

As far as suggestions as to how we can improve these conditions and minimize the

incidents of police brutality...

If I had the answer to that question, I could probably create world peace too.

It’s a toughie, but definitely needs to be addressed in a public forum.



Response after reading partner school’s essays:

In reading your essays the rest of my class found the personal incidences that you

discussed shocking. I am the only African-American Female in this class and your

tales did not take me nearly as off guard. As a result of this observation, I was made

aware of the necessity for (this kind of interaction). I am not saying that people in my

class/school need to have some hands-on experience with police brutality, but their

ignorance of events that people in their own borough experience on too regular a basis

is what I found most shocking. There are major slogans and campaigns in the media

for world peace but how can we be in search for peace when we are not even aware

of the violence occurring regularly less than five miles from our homes?

“World peace can be achieved when the power of love overrides the love of power.”

This sounds very cliche but the first step towards a resolution is education. More

people need to hear the horror stories that many of you have experienced.





3... Response to assignment before contact with partner school:

1.  I think that police brutality is a problem, but that sometimes the media blows it

out of proportion. If one bad cop beats on someone people make it seem like all cops

2.  I don’t know any victims.

3.  I suggest that in police training, it is emphasized that a cop should only hurt

someone if it is absolutely necessary. Also, violent policemen should be prosecuted



Response after reading partner school’s essays:

Before reading your letters, I thought police brutality was less of a problem than I do

now. I didn’t realize how many people are really affected by it. I do think, in general, that

many of you were too quick to judge all police officers by the actions of some of

them...There are some good cops. This doesn’t mean, however, that the bad ones

should be excused for their actions. They should be punished more severely, and the

police force should take greater care to stop brutality.





#4... Response to assignment before contact with partner school:

Police brutality is a very pertinent issue in America today. The problem mostly stems

from the police having too much power. They are given guns and nightsticks, and are

not monitored as to the use of them. The police feel they have the right to use any

means necessary if it is some sort of questionable situation. The police learn from

more senior officers, and brutality has been part of the system for quite awhile.



Response after reading partner school’s essays:

I was somewhat dismayed about what you wrote in your letters...Many of us were

struck not knowing what to say or think. Many of you have firsthand knowledge of

police corruption, and many of us do not...One of the letters I read stated that the

only way to stop this force of corruption is to unite. This notion is absolutely correct...

Everyone in the world can say that it is wrong; we need to stand up and do





#5... Response to assignment before contact with partner school:

While I do believe that police brutality exists, I am not sure how much of a problem it

is...What I do know is that the media has a tendency to exaggerate and it is virtually

impossible to decipher the truth from what you hear on T.V.


Response after reading partner school’s essays:

I was stunned to find that every single one of these students had had some sort of

encounter with police brutality. Some admitted to committing a crime, but most were

entirely innocent - but in both cases police brutality is unacceptable. Upon reading the

descriptions of the beatings I came to realize how much I take for granted my sense of

security. I can’t even begin to imagine the degree of fear that must be present in these

All we can hope is that programs like this succeed in making people aware of

problems like police brutality, and in turn something is done.





#6... Response to assignment before contact with partner school:

...I am disgusted by the act of police brutality but I feel that it is not a large problem in

this country, state, and city. When I see a police officer on the street, I feel safe.



Response after reading partner school’s essays:

I admittedly was unaware of the caliber of the problem that police brutality posed...

(However,) I was disturbed by the reactions of (some) of your constituents ...who

questioned whether police brutality should even be discussed by myself or my fellow

students, under the assumption that it does not have a significant impact on our lives.

Whoever chose to make this remark...is gravely mistaken. Police brutality is not a

‘black thing’, not a ‘hispanic thing’, not a ‘white thing’, etc. Police brutality is a

community issue and is thus a problem that affects all residents of the community in

which it is occurring. It is absurd to think that because I or my family has yet to be

harassed or abused by a police officer that we should sit back and not pay attention to

what’s going on because it is 'not our problem’. The fact is that police brutality IS our

problem; in fact it’s everybody’s problem, whether you’re black, white, Hispanic, Asian,

If people are being severely mistreated for no apparent reason in this city, state,

country, or world, it is everybody’s problem because we all are human beings, and if

our fellow human beings are being abused we must, collectively, attempt to solve the

problem before it gets even further out of hand.

Some Additional Horace Mann Responses to assignment before contact with partner school:

•       Police brutality has probably always existed in some form. The difference is that now it is documented, and in some cases it has become a racial issue. EB

•       I do think police brutality is a small problem in today’s world. There are many more important problems, though, in today’s society. BC

•       I have not encountered any forms of police brutality or police racial discrimina­tion. But I have read stories about innocent Black men being killed by cops, but almost no white people. This is because the cops assume the Black men are dangerous when they are completely innocent...If a Black person is doing some­thing even the least bit suspicious, a cop will probably pursue it and assume that he is doing something wrong. If a white person is in the same situation, the cop will probably forget about it. JK

•       I have never personally experienced any form of police brutality nor have I known someone who has. Yet I still see it as a serious problem that needs to be addressed. F-YF

•       I know no one victimized by police brutality. ES

•       I do not believe police brutality is a major problem. I do believe some people deserve it. For example, people who fight back, have a gun, etc. AS

•       The truth is that many police are on a constant power trip, knowing they can be brutal without opposition. To be honest, I really don’t feel for the murderer that gets beaten. However, there are many falsely accused, many arrested simply because of race and so on, who are beaten just as harshly as the murderers. JF

•       Police brutality is definitely a major issue in itself, but furthermore it is a symp­tom of a larger problem in our society. M

•       I do not know anyone who has been a victim of police brutality. I do know that it is a very serious problem in our society. It is a racial problem and a problem of power gone corrupt. EE

•       Police brutality is not a problem at this instant but it has the potential to be.

GP

   

                                     (public school) ESSAYS

POLICE BRUTALITY

When I think of police brutality I think of my friend Hayden, seventeen years old and severely beaten by cops walking from his cousins house to the train. I think police brutality is a problem. We see it in the news, with Abner Louima, who was sexually abused by cops in Washington Heights and the young teenage boy who was shot by cops in Washington Heights. Everyone knows about Rodney King. Police brutality has to end. We the people must come up with a solution.

My friend Hayden was beaten severely by the cops. He was in the hospital for four days and had to get 26 stitches in his head. Hayden was walking from his cousin’s house to the train, and the cops stopped him and searched him. They told him that he fit the description of a guy that robbed some lady. But when they said that, Hayden tried to tell them where he was coming from and the cop slapped him and said, “don’t talk back boy”. That’s when things heated up because Hayden got mad and tried to walk away, but the cop hit him in his knee with his club and began to beat him. He was lying on the ground while being hit. The bad thing was they just left him there. Someone found him and called an ambulance and also called his brother and aunt by looking at his I.D. card. When I went to see him in Jacobi Hospital, I just felt a lot of hate and revenge for white cops. It’s bad to say it, but at that point I hated white cops.

Another reason police brutality must end is because of the effect it has on our children. Police brutality is not something that our children should grow up with. When children watch the news and see Rodney King, and Abner Louima, they see how white cops beat black men. The children will be scared. They’re going to grow up thinking that police are bad and they are abusers. This is not something we want our kids to grow up with, the fear in their hearts of the police.

           I have a few suggestions to improve the situation. Police officers should have interracial partners. For example black-white, white-Hispanic, and black-Hispanic etc. Then maybe they will learn about each others backgrounds. They should be evaluated and tested to determine their attitudes and how quickly their temper ignites. This way we know how they could handle certain situations and how they would possibly act under pressure. Police officers should be much older. The starting age is 18 1/2. Eighteen year olds are still in high school. How could they become police officers and handle pressure situations. They’re too young for that. Plus, they have no experience. They’re still teenagers, they should experience more of their life, go on to college and get a taste of the real world.

Police Brutality is a serious problem that really should be looked into.  As you can see police take things to an extent that could be avoided. Take some of my suggestions into consideration and see if it works.            J J

S C - Police Brutality

I believe that police brutality exists in our society today. This is due to the fact that I have witnessed this injustice. We all have. An example of this was the infamous Rodney King video tape. A tape of a man without a weapon, being brutally beaten by three officers, officers that are supposed to be protecting and serving. They came up with silly excuses for their poor behavior, but were brought to justice in the end.

Also , I have witnessed a man I knew being beaten by two policemen. He has done something illegal and maybe deserved to be arrested, but not hit in the face with a glass bottle. He had to receive medical attention. He needed a number of stitches and will be left with a scar forever on his face, and in his memory.

Lastly, I will share a story of how I was victimized. A friend and I were sitting in a park in Harlem when we were apprehended by two officers who swore that they had seen us smoking a marijuana cigarette. True, we did have this on our person, but we were not smoking it. Also, it was written on a report as 1/5 of a marijuana cigarette - a crime punishable by a summons. However, we were arrested, booked and held in Central Booking for a day. We were told we would be out that evening. However we spent the night in jail. My poor male friend had to strip and spread his cheeks for the police. I felt terrible. I was arrested for nothing. I was paraded through the streets with handcuffs.

The next day I heard of how my cousin - a 20 year old male was awakened by police officers the night before. Supposedly, they followed him  into his apartment and into the bedroom in the back. He was sleeping, and they grabbed him and pulled him out of the bed and handcuffed him. They actually had the nerve to feel his chest and say, “look at how fast his heart is beating, he must have been running.” Common sense would tell anyone that being awakened by several policeman handcuffing you would make anyone’s heart jump.

This brutality can be physical, verbal, and another nature. This can be stopped, but only if the police realize that they can be held accountable for their actions. Most police that I’ve met, I feel should be severely reprimanded. If not there will be chaos because today, people are feeling the need to fight back. Brutal behavior is inappropriate and needs to change now! We can change. We must insist that policeman be brought to justice for everyone’s safety.

R. F.

Police Brutality exists where I live on Jackson Avenue. Everyday police tell us to move from in front of my building, where we pay rent. At all hours of the day, police beat people all over the South Bronx.

I have been in a situation with police brutality three times in my life. Twice I was just walking late at night, 4 A.M. I was snatched up by plain clothes cops. They beat me up and left me by the 138th street bridge. They made racial slurs. They told me that they were watching me all night, that they had me on camera. But I wasn’t doing anything. I was just chillin’ with my friends. They punched me and hit me with their walkie talkie. I passed out from the beating. The next thing I knew, I woke up under the bridge.

The last time it happened, my cousin and I were driving. They pulled us over and found the drugs we had. They beat us up once we got to the precinct.

In the streets you have to live with brutality. You can’t do anything about it. My only suggestion is to send to prison any officer who hurts a person. The police are a gang with guns.

M B

Police brutality is a big problem in today's society. Lets look at Rodney King and what the cops did to him in L.A. to cause that riot. And for an up to date situation, look at what the cop did to Abner Louima, another African American. But the difference in this situation is that it happened in NY, and this did not lead to a riot.

I never experienced police brutality but it had a big affect on my family. A cop shot my 21 year old my cousin to death last summer. The cop blamed it on my cousin's asthma attack. But my cousin did not have bad asthma. He only had a mild case of it.

We never found out why my cousin was beaten by the police and there was not enough evidence to bring charges against the police. But my family knows what really happened. My cousin was beat to death by the police. Because of this incident, I don't respect cops anymore.

Unfortunately I don't think that there is anything that can be done to change this situation of police brutality. Once cops get too much power, it goes to their head.

I believe that police brutality exists today in our society. Everyday, more and more lives are either being threatened or taken away. For example, police beat innocent people in the streets. And sometimes, beat on their own.

I have two family members that are not resting in peace because of police brutality. One incident involved my 29 year old cousin, Ulysses Cortez. He was driving a stolen car. The police followed him and stopped him. As he stopped, one police officer stepped out of her car and went towards the stolen car. My cousin had not put the car in park. He had his foot on the brakes. The police officer did not know that, so as my cousin put the gear on park, the car jerked, and the police officer thought he was trying to get away. So she took out her revolver and shot him on the left side of his head. After my cousin's funeral, we found out information about the police officer. The officer was a rookie who had just started on the job.

The second incident was my uncle, Gilbert Cruz. He had an argument with his wife. He left to have a couple of drinks to cool himself down. After he cooled down, he went home and was knocking on the door. His wife did not want to open the door, so he knocked harder. As he was knocking, his wife was calling the police. When the police arrived, they asked him what was the problem. He was so upset, that all he could do was curse at his wife from the hallway and continue banging on the door. The police grabbed his jacket and and threw him against the wall. He struggled with the cops so they would let him go, but they didn't. They threw him on the floor. One police officer tried to put handcuffs on him, but he still struggled. As he struggled, one police officer hit him across his face with his nightstick; the other police officer who handcuffed him also started hitting him with his nightstick. There were four police officers in total beating on my uncle who was handcuffed on the floor. After they beat him for about a half hour, they called the ambulance to pick him up. On his way to the hospital, he died.

The reports on this revealed he had several severe bruises on his head, broken bones in his face, broken ribs, a broken arm and a broken leg. He couldn't take the pain, so he gave up and passed away.

In conclusion, police brutality is getting worse everyday; something needs to done.

S. R.

Yes, I believe that police brutality does exist today in our society. Police brutality is a very big problem in our society. I have heard about police either beating or killing black people.

I know a couple of people that have either been verbally or physically abused by police, but there is one incident that will be with me forever. I was going to Taft High School at the time. This was when Taft was considered the worst school in the Bronx. We had at least two cops on each corner of the school premises.

One day after school was over, a lot of students were standing outside of the school. This was normal; we always stood outside after school. The cops came over and told us to move off the school premises. So we started walking down the block. All of a sudden, I saw the cops beating on my friend Jermain and some other guys. They were beating them with their clubs. Then out of the blue, there were about thirty cops running up the block.

The cops started grabbing kids and hitting them, and the kids started fighting back. A cop grabbed a pregnant girl by the throat and slammed her on the wall. As I walked in the street, a guy that I know ran by me with blood running out of his nose.

I think the only way to stop police brutality is to start from the top. What I mean by from the top is Mayor Guiliani and the Police Commissioner have to stop justifying every wrong thing the police do. Another thing they can do is when the police get suspended, they should not get paid until their suspension is over. I believe that police will stop abusing people when they don’t have any money to take care of their family.

Also, if Mayor Guiliani would stop standing up for the police when he knows that they are in the wrong, they would stop abusing their authority. They know that they won’t get fired or punished so they don’t care. Suspending them is nothing because they still get paid. If Guiliani would put his foot down and tell them they can’t keep doing this, they won’t feel like they are a god and we are nothing.

Another way to stop brutality is to make police officers live in New York City. More than half of the police officers don’t live in New York City. They live in rural areas where it’s quiet and there aren’t a lot of people. When the cops come from their little quiet towns into the crowded noisy city, they get paranoid. They need to live where they work because their job is to interact with the people of this city.

In conclusion, police brutality is a very big problem in our community. The Mayor should put his foot down and he should make the police take classes. I feel that these things will change the way police treat new Yorkers.

M.S.

When racial segregation ended in this country, African Americans thought that they finally won the last battle for their freedom. Yet there is anther battle to be fought and that’s the one against police brutality and harassment. Six out of ten young African American teens have either been harassed or beaten by an officer or in some cases, a couple of officers. What can we do as the people to address this problem? We need to come up with solutions to change how we hire and train our police officers. We need solutions now.

How do we protect our neighborhoods? We stop hiring cops that don't

live near where they patrol, that don't live in New York City. More than half NYC

police officers live in suburbs of New Jersey or upstate New York. And not only do they

live there, but they also grew up there, so they were never familiar with the city. We need officers that grew up in the city and know what the city streets are like. Just like the suburbs have cops that are familiar with where they patrol.

Another way to address this problem is to make sure that the city recruits are trained better. They need to give them more psychological tests to check their tempers, and temperament. We need to make sure there are no bigots and hot heads allowed. These are the cops that are on the news because they killed or beat some one up. They think that since they have a gun and a badge, they can take the law into their own hands.

The point is what can be done to stop these violent crimes that cops are committing and some times getting away with. Maybe we just have to increase cops pay so that a better job can be done. Or maybe have little surveillance cameras on officers’ belts so they'll be better monitored.

Police brutality needs to be addressed promptly, because sooner or later people are just going to protect their own neighborhoods from the criminals and maybe even the police.

Additional Horace Mann Responses After Reading Partner School's Essays:

•        After reading several of the compositions on police brutality, the goal of this project be­came more clear to me. I believe the overall goal of what we are participating in is to be able to work together, discuss together, and argue together... When we truly think about it, we are all people, but with different backgrounds. We have let this fact work to our disadvantage instead of using it to our advantage. Different experiences offer people a new perspective on how to look at issues such as police brutality...The life that I lead is very different from that of the lives written about in the letters we read.

     This should not be the case. Our society can not survive so fractured, and with such blatant double standards. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t help to solve the problem. The goal is to be able to work together and learn from each other. It can happen if we respect each other and listen intently. ES

•        My first emotion when I read the police brutality essays was surprise. I couldn’t believe that some people were beaten when they weren’t even doing anything... Every time I read an essay I found myself whispering Jesus Christ. I used to believe that racism didn’t exist anymore, but now I realize it does.  AS

•        I have never felt so ignorant in my life. I was enraged to hear of the occurrences in­flicted by the police force. It is absolutely ridiculous that adults, who have made a com­mitment to maintaining peace in our society, would cause pain or harass ANYONE! Such racist practices and even attitudes are unacceptable and need to be expelled from our lives. I think this would be a topic for us to talk about and attempt to propose solutions. I look forward to reading any responses and hopefully meeting sometime soon. RF

•        When I read the letters from other schools, I didn’t believe a lot of them.  How could such atrocities exist outside of my television?  NN

•        Some of the things I read in the essays were really shocking...It’s really unfair that po­lice can do those things without punishment, but other people go to jail for them.  nn

•        After reading your stories, I find that the problem of police brutality is a major problem.

I find it hard to believe that it happens so much, but after reading your papers I now think it does. One of the things that did disturb me was that in a lot of cases, you guys/ girls were in possession or doing something illegal. This fact cripples your complaints. How can you complain about brutality if you are doing something illegal? Yes, it is not right for them to do that, but if you were not doing something illegal, it may not have happened.   TA

•        In reading your essays I found myself both surprised and appalled. Though I was not so naive to think that police brutality was not a pressing issue, I had no idea that its scope was so wide that it was a relatively common occurrence... When Mr. Dennis told us some of the reactions aroused by reading our essays I was disturbed. He said that there was a sense of anger among some of you that we even write on a topic we surely know nothing about. For the most part I think that it’s true we know very little in comparison to you about police brutality. But it’s not a good practice to assume before becoming at least a bit more informed. The most important point I have to make, how­ever, is that in order to fix a problem affecting a community, all different types of peo­ple must get involved. In fact it is essential that people with different backgrounds and lives come together to find a solution.  LY

•        I find it terrible that people my own age could be brutalized by the police. I also find it upsetting that a police officer would come up to you for no reason and accuse you of stealing something. I have never experienced anything like this...Hopefully, I will never have to deal with the kind of police brutality that has affected your life.  BC

•        As I was reading the experiences from other schools, I realized that police brutality af­fected people of all ages, all sexes, and all races in different ways and to different ex­tents. F-YF

•        I have read most of your letters, and I am shocked at the horrible things that have hap­pened to some of you. I truly never knew that things are that bad... Even if I am not necessarily beaten by the police, I feel that the system must be changed, so that no one is beaten. PC

« One mission, left unstated, was that we should teach each other. These back and forth letters should not result in irrational accusations or stubborn defense - rather they should be forums to help each other further understand ourselves and our environ­ment ... I am asking, then, that subjects as touchy as these continue to be the basis of this stage of the program, in the hope that they will strengthen understanding and communication. I have seen where I lack experience, and hope in the future there are subjects we (at HM) are familiar with, and can help you understand.  JF

                          EVALUATIONS (both schools - after the in-person exchange)

1.                 I learned that...

•           Getting together was very good.

•           This experience today was very good.
•          White kids and Black, Latinos can get together and have some positive fun.

•           We can get along and form as one if we put our minds to it.

•           We are all the same.

•           All people are not bad.

•           Police brutality is a huge problem.

•           People aren’t always what you think.

•           The Horace Mann kids are respectful and fun to be with.
•          Things can and will get better if we all put our heads together and unite as one.

•           About some of the first hand accounts of some of the Grant kids.

•           The Horace Mann students are more than what we thought.

2.                 I was surprised that...

•           We got together and had a nice talk.

•           Nobody acted up or played themselves.
•         The students from Horace Mann got along so well with the students from  Grant Prep.

•          They were so down to earth.

•          They were so open to us.

•          Students warmed up to each other so quickly.

-       Grant students had so many personal experiences with police brutality.

•           The other students came!

•           Horace Mann students really enjoyed it.

•           That Horace Mann came to our school.

•           This went so well even without a lot of time.
•         Although I read the essays, I was still surprised at how much police brutality affects the Grant students in their everyday lives.

•           Everyone was mad cool with each other.

•          One of the students and I have a lot in common.

3)     I was disappointed that...

       We didn’t have enough time to finish talking.

•           We could not continue the conversations. We were really going somewhere.

•               Other students from Horace Mann could not participate.

•               They could not stay longer.

•                We had so little time.

•                We didn’t get to finish.

•                We couldn’t talk longer.

•                We could not have them at our school.

•                We couldn’t talk as much as we wanted to.

•               There wasn’t enough time.

•               We don’t have more time.

•               I was not disappointed!

4) I was concerned that...

•        These children are growing up in an environment where they fear the police.

•        The kids from Horace Mann High School would not get along with Grant, but everything worked out fine.

*    This would have turned out bad.

*    They mite be stuck up.

*     Police brutality is such a bad problem that hasn’t been dealt with.

*    The police would show up!

•           We would not have much in common.

•            The Horace Mann students wouldn’t like what we did today.

•            This wasn’t long enough to fully interact.

•            They wouldn’t adapt to us.

5) I was surprised that…

•        They came and hope they will come again.

•        The program went so well.

•        Everything worked out fine.

•        We got a chance to get to know one another.

•        They came.

•        It all went well. The project was well prepared.

•        We got to do this.

•        We ate!

•        We were all able to communicate.

•        We all had a very nice time.

•        This project actually got off the ground and that this exchange actually happened.

•        I was able to share my views as well as hear the views and problems of others.

•        We all got together without any problems.

•        Everyone got along with each other that everyone came to more of an understanding of things.

•        I came here.

•        We all got along.

6) I would like to learn more about...

•        How to get together more.

•        These kids. We should continue talking and reach a solution. We were pretty close and it is evident that something must be done.

•        How we could meet again to discuss how we can solve the problem.

•        How to come together.

•        Them.

•        Different races.

•        Students opinions on each other’s schools.

•        The other students and police brutality.

•        People.

•        The Horace Mann neighborhood and how their lives are.

•        Their individual experiences and thoughts - just more time to talk.

•        The way the students from Horace Mann think and what they do and also more about life for them in this world.

•        The Horace Mann students and what they go through in life.

Additional Comments and suggestions:

•          I honestly hope that we can meet with the other students more often so that

we can become even more friendly.

•        I think too much time was spent on “getting to know you” games. Students from both schools had been eagerly awaiting and preparing for this meeting and we should have had more time to just talk to each other.

•         We should meet up again.

•         More time to eat.        

•        If less time had been spent doing introductions, THEN we could have really talked. I just want to know what they think about the world, what they’re going to do with their lives. I’d also like to learn about their curriculum.

•          We should do this AGAIN!!

•           If we all work together, we can solve this problem.           

Addendum:

The Rest of the ‘public school’ Essays

M. S. M.

Police officers are chosen to serve and protect the public. The police are supposed to provide society with a sense of security, yet some people find the "long arm of the law' hitting them over the back of their heads. I am talking about Police Brutality! Men in blue who are supposed uphold the law, yet choose not to abide by it themselves, making society their victims!

Police brutality is still a factor in the police system. In today's time I don't feel it is a big factor, but when it does occur, officers inflict great pain and suffering so that a person would think it happens everyday. Measures have to be taken to put police brutality to an end.

Abner Louima was stripped of his manhood from police brutality. Louima, a Haitian immigrant, was arrested for disturbing the peace. After being taken into the precinct, officers rammed the handle of the plunger into his anus, tearing his colon and intestines. These officers did this to Louima in the police precinct bathroom. I feel every officer in that precinct, on that day, should be charged because no one came to put a stop to this torture as Abner Louima screamed out in pain. No one stepped up for Louima's rights as a human being; he was dismissed as just another immigrant.

            Charles Campbell was my father's co-worker and child-hood friend. Campbell parked his car one day in front of a Pizza Shop in Dobbs Ferry and left to buy a drink before buying a slice from the shop. Apparently, he was confronted by the owner who told him to move his car. The owner and Campbell then got into a dispute. Campbell got a bat from his trunk and was about to fight the man. The owner's son, an off duty cop, shot Campbell in 'self defense'!  Charles Campbell was killed!

The officer was later tried and convicted for Campbell's death. Usually when it comes down to a black man and a white cop, the officer gets off, which is just like a spit in the face from the justice system to the families of victims and to society. I am so glad that Charles Campbell's killer was a prime example that cops cannot hide behind their badges anymore. You cannot take a man's life without just cause or because you have a badge!

I think that other measures could have been taken in both of these cases. The off duty cop could have stated that he was a cop end arrested Campbell instead of taking his life over a parking space. The assault to Abner Louima was just sick! There should be stricter guide lines for becoming an 'upholder of the law"! Police officers should be diverse because in the U.S. today there are so many different races and cultures that we need people who will not automatically judge one because of hearsay or their own ignorance.

Police brutality is beyond a black and white thing! There are black officers who harass and brutalize people. There just needs to be a total evaluation of police departments on the whole. The police departments should be more thorough in choosing their officers. The police psychiatrist should be able to evaluate officers. They should have psychiatrists who know about race relations and how to notice racial prejudice in a person to prevent them from ever becoming a cop.

Police brutality is not as common now, but when it does occur, it just brings people back to the harsh reality, that there are still racists, bigots, and sick people with a badge and a gun. We as a society need to bring these issues to the Mayor because ultimately we, the people, will fall subject to the ignorance of officers today!

D B

Yes, I believe that police brutality exists today in our society. Many people have been abused for no apparent reason. Police think that wearing the badge makes them above the law. But no one has the right to put their hand on you, and no one is above the law.

My ex-girifriend’s brother was stopped for speeding in Patterson,

New Jersey. The cop went on a regular procedure of asking for his drivers license and his registration. Then all of a sudden, the cop pulled out his gun with his partner on the opposite side, telling him to put his hands where they could see them and to step out of the vehicle. The partner took out his night stick and struck him across the chest. But this was the wrong person to pick on. He knocked the cop out with one punch. The other cop just put him in handcuffs and took him to jail.

Police brutality exists and to tell you the truth, I have no suggestions for changing this situation because cops will always abuse others for no reason. There are cops out there that are racist or are Nazis. My conclusion to this problem of abuse is to defend yourself because justice is not on your side. I’m sorry to say this, but the truth is that this is a white man’s world.

The cops should realize that wearing a badge is to serve and protect our society. You and I are no higher than the law. We are equal. Society will never be nice to most police that will not know the true meaning of what a police officer should be.

Police Brutality

I believe police brutality exists today in our society. Many police officers, when on duty, have the habit of believing that they are better than other people. They believe they have special privileges and can do certain things that to me are most of the time, wrong and unfair. Many police officers take their job too seriously and have a habit of over exaggerating situations in my experience. I’ve seen many young African Americans walk in and out of a building where they live, and they are constantly harassed. They are recipients of rude comments made by these officers. And I see a lot of inappropriate actions between the police and these young men and women. Many people are sick of being search, stopped and pulled over for something that they did not do. This is unfair; this is harassment.

J P

We the people who have police brutality in our community, must find a way to end it. I suggest that African American police officers patrol African American neighborhoods. This can make a difference because most of these police brutality cases are a result of racism. Black officers in black neighborhoods will not completely end the problem, but I think it will make a big difference. Our communities must also learn the law. We must also learn our rights, what rights we have in a particular situation. We need to know the law.

In less than ten years from now, I don’t want my son of daughter being searched or harassed by police officers. Our communities must come together to make a difference for the future. We must think about all of the families and people that have been victims of police brutality. We must end brutality at once.

Today in our society, I believe that police brutality does exist. I’ve come to this conclusion through the news. In the news last night, I saw an African American male who said that the cops busted into his home and fired twelve dozen rounds; then they took him out of his home while he was naked. They called him racist names, if that’s not police brutality, I don’t know what is.

EB

Yes, my brother experienced police brutality. My brother owns a nice house in Virginia. As he walked out of his house the cops arrested him and ransacked his house. Then they apologized to him after they saw some of his S.D. in the house. The cops thought he had robbed his own home. Now my brother is $509,883 richer because he won the law suit he filed against the police.

! feel that the only way police brutality can change is if the cops glue African American people the benefit of the doubt, in other words, if you see an African American in a nice car or a nice house, instead of assuming that he or she stole the car or robbed the house, fry to assume that he or she has a good job and can afford certain things, another thing Is that we should have a new mayor because Giuliani is, in my opinion, condoning police brutality.

S M

I do believe that police brutality exists today in our society. It’s happening all around us. As for me, being a young black woman, I have to worry about being mistaken as a drug dealer. Or if I am jogging up the block, I have to be running away from crime. Police harass the guys on my block. Cops are always checking them, as if they are supposed to have something on them. The criminal, that should be in jail, is walking around like everything is okay.

I do know someone who was face to face with police brutality. Rob was on the corner of the block talking to his friend. A police car drove up and the officers told them to, "get off the corner and go home”. Rob said, “No, I am just standing here talking to my friend”. So the police officer said, “I am only gonna tell you one last time, get off the corner!” Rob didn’t move, he was still talking. So the police officers got out of their car and threw Rob against the wall. They started to search Rob, as if he was supposed to be on drugs, or he had a weapon.

Rob was a working man, who went to college part time in the day and worked at night. Rob asked the officers, “Why are you searching me?” The cop said, “Shut up, boy! I’ll ask all the questions.” Not only was he faced with police brutality, he was disrespected as a black man. The cops told him he was arrested for disorderly conduct. Rob refused to move. So the officer threw Rob on the ground like he was an animal The other officer had his night stick on the back of his head, while the other kicked Rob in his back. Mind you, Rob is still on the ground. The officers picked him up and threw him in the car. Rob hit his face on the car door. This didn’t have to happen. Police think that they have the power to do what they want.

            There is no way we can stop police brutality because it’s already here. If I were to change it, I would start by getting all of the cops that have a record of police brutality off the force. This means that one half of the police force around the world would be out of a job. We as individuals, can’t stop police brutality. Really, it’s up to the Police Commissioner Howard Safir. If he doesn’t do anything about it, brutality will not end.

I thought that the police were supposed to protect and serve. They are supposed to protect us from the bad guys. But the really bad guys are the “Police Officers”. They are being paid to abuse us.

(TJ)  Police brutality does exsist in today's society, Although I don't think that it’s going on as much as it was before Rodney King and Abner Louima, but like any crime it's still an existing problem for minority youth.

     Police brutality is like a fire that has not been fully extinguished. / A friend and I have been subject to police brutality. We simply went down to the bowling alley on the cover of 160th Street and River place. And a plain clothes officers approached us in an old beat up Chevy, and he asked us where we were headed. My friend asked the officer for I. D. The officer jumped out of his vehicle and told us to put our hands up against the hood of the car. The officer put handcuffed on me, and they still didn't show us any I.D. The officer on the passenger side got out and literally threw me in the car.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the police publicly humiliated my friend. One of the officer's told my friend to pull his trousers down to his ankles. When the police finished verbally abusing him, they told him to puli up his trousers. Then they handcuffed him and threw him in the vehicle with me. One of the officers got in the back with my friend and I . They drove us to the 44th precinct, and we called our parents. Our parents came and picked us up from the precinct.. And when our parents asked one of the officers that arrested my friend and I what had happened, all he said was that it was a disturbance of the peace. My mother and my friend's mother brought up charges on the two officers that arrested us. One year later the two officers that arrested my friend and I don't work anymore as officer's of the law. My friend and I still think about that incident and how lightly the courts took this serious issue.

As for solving the problem of police brutality, I think that everybody should take the officers or officers to court. You can't win in the streets, in the street you're subject to what ever they want to happen to you.

            Police brutality can be stopped, in court, and in court only.

S P

Police brutality is out of hand. Police officers are supposed to up hold the law, not break it or take it into their own hands. Some police officers take advantage of their position. We are the one’s who are supposed to look for them if there is a problem. Now the people don’t know who to trust. We have to take measures to end police brutality.

Take this for example. A man by the name of Abner Luima was a victim of an incredible sexual assault. The police officer stuck a stick of a plunger into luima’s rectum. The officer had to have known that he would inflict great pain. Luima is in the hospital suffering, emotionally, mentally , and physically. Luima must be feeling shamed, hurt, embarrassed and deceived. I don’t even want to think about his family. What are they feeling? What are they going through? And just to think there are so many other \ictims out there.

There are also many victims of police harassment. Many white police officers harass other white officers. Just as well as black on black. Why? I thought we got past the prejudice, and we are all working toward a happy and peaceful future. I haven’t been affected by this but it does bother me when I see it on the news or read about it in the news paper.

I have some ideas that can make the situation better. I think the officers should speak with a psychiatrist at least twice a week just to see if they are capable of doing such horrible things to the people they are supposed to protect.

Also if they would give better training maybe things would be different.  the other idea I have is to do surveillance, or tap there suits. That way we can hear and see every move they make. May be that can be of help. We need to encourage the police department to make these changes to end these incidents.

Is police brutality a big problem in today's world ? To some people, yes because a police officer is not supposed to hurt you physically or emotionally. They are only supposed to arrest you if necessary.

I myself really don’t know anybody who has been affected by police brutality and never have I had a problem with the police, so I really don’t know the feeling and the hurt people are carrying around inside.

But I do have a few suggestions to improve the situations. We the people should really take being a cop seriously. Cops should go to school to learn how to deal with people. They should also practice what they preach.

Violence isn’t the key. So if someone is being violent in any kind of way, police shouldn’t react in a violent way.

RG

Police Brutality

Yes, I do believe police brutality exists today in our society.

Because just a few weeks ago my younger cousin Marx was arrested with his younger friend Nelson. It all started when they both were hanging out, and like every other day, it was a boring one. Nelson and Marx decided to rob a Chinese man that was making a delivery at a building that my cousin and his friend were hanging out at. But when my cousin saw the Chinese man he turn to his friend and whispered to his friend to he changed his mind and he didn’t want to do it.

Then they decided that they weren’t going to do it. And they were going to walk to their house. That was when the Chinese man saw my cousin and his friend and somehow he panicked! The Chinese man asked my cousin was he was the one who called the place for the delivery, so my cousin told him no, “I didn’t call for no delivery and you need to get off my case!” All of a sudden, the Chinese man hit my cousin. And my cousin fought the Chinese man back. As my cousin’s friend saw that my cousin was fighting, he jumped into the fight.

When they finished fighting my cousin ran out from the place where they were. And all of a sudden some one yelled “stop. If you don’t stop i am going to shoot”. My cousin and his friend stopped, and as they stopped one of the police ran up to my cousin and kicked my cousin down to the ground and was kicking my cousin while my cousin and his friend were down on the ground. They were so badly beaten, that my cousin’s face was very swollen. His friend’s back was black and blue all over.

This really hurts me because my cousin is only 15 years old; he is the baby of the family. I really love him and always looked out for him. I really do believe that those police that beat up on people, should get a taste of their own medicine.

         I think that police who abuse should be removed from the force.

J O

I feel deeply moved when I hear the word brutality. What makes the matter worse, is that the police are responsible for the brutality. Police brutality is a very big problem in our society. We can’t trust the law. The police are supposed to honor and serve the people; they are not supposed to beat down and abuse the people.

I know personally what some cops are capable of doing. I was in a situation that made me realize that cops are people too. They are capable of making the same mistakes that any other person would make. The cops didn’t abuse me physically, but rather mentally. It’s just as bad. Both kinds of abuse stay with you. In the summer of 1996, I came back from getting my hair done. On my way home, I decided to stop at my best friend’s job. She worked at a smoke shop selling weed. I never liked the idea of it.

Late that afternoon, at the shop, my friend and I were upstairs smoking. We heard unfamiliar voices. There was a hole that my friend looked out. She said that the cops were down stairs. I thought that she was joking. Then I saw them going through the cash register.

I panicked and started running towards the escape window (that’s what we called it). Then I heard footsteps. It all felt like a nightmare, but I knew it was real. The police officer told us to freeze. My friend stopped running. I was not giving up, so I kept running.

        I wasn’t even aware I was standing on a weak ceiling until it was too late. I fell, holding on only to a broken part of the ceiling. I was scared to death. I felt like I couldn’t hold on any longer. I was calling out desperately for help. Not one police officer tried to help me..  The owner of the store helped me down before he was put into handcuffs.

While we were in the police car, the officers laughed and cursed at me. They tried to make me feel more rotten than 1 already felt. I never knew that police could be so cruel.

I learned that I shouldn’t put myself into a predicament that ! knew in my heart that was wrong. I also learned that you should say no to drugs.

        But I realized that everybody that is human makes mistakes. I believe that there is always going to be conflict between the law and the people.  I believe that we need to pray about it.