School Resource Officers will be permitted back on Denver school campuses in the fall to protect children from violence and would-be psychotic shooters.
To no one’s surprise, school board gadfly and vice president in charge of temper tantrums and disruptions, Auon’tai “Tay” Anderson, is not happy about it.
All white people are racists, and all cops just want to put Black children in jail, he seems to believe.
Voting to allow SROs to return to schools means “supporting the status quo of white supremacy,” Anderson said ahead of the vote, adding, “It will come across as a statement that Black lives do not matter as much.”
Anderson, (Scott) Esserman and others on the board have said having police in schools harms students of color and contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline, which happens when pupils become involved in the criminal justice system as a result of policies that use law enforcement to address behavioral issues.
By all means, if the school board has policies in place to use law enforcement to address behavioral issues, that sounds like something the school board and Anderson could and should address.
School Resource Officers should not be used to discipline children, but to help prevent violence. Denver parents, teachers and students deserve to feel safe in school from gun violence.
Anyway, long story short, Anderson made an ass of himself, again, and spent more time disrupting than in finding solutions during this week’s meeting.
Here’s Jimmy Sengenberger breakdown of the meeting:
BREAKING: After some of the most asinine & insane displays of childish grandstanding, @dps_k12 board votes 4-3 to permanently reinstate SROs.
How they got there, tho, is a wacky & embarrassing story.
But at least SROs are coming back & the “guardrails” are limited. #copolitics
— Jimmy Sengenberger (@SengCenter) June 16, 2023
Kudos to Attorney Aaron Thompson for being the adult in the room @dps_k12 board meeting.
He’s not a board member, but he’s the only one actually calling out the dilatory, inane, and childish actions of Scott Esserman and Tay Anderson.
Carrie Olson is playing along. #copolitics https://t.co/tFYuDrebDV
— Jimmy Sengenberger (@SengCenter) June 16, 2023
“As a black man in America, I will never forget those who vote in favor of this resolution.”
Great, Tay. Never forget who stood for kids’ safety. That’s just fine. Thankfully, you’ll be off the board.
Invoking Lincoln and slavery – again? Just messed up.@dps_k12 #copolitics
— Jimmy Sengenberger (@SengCenter) June 16, 2023
We cannot wait until Anderson steps down in November to pursue his ill-fated run for a state House seat.