Protesters gathered outside the Department of Education Chancellor’s apartment Richard Carranza in Brooklyn late Thursday to demand that the NYPD no longer handle school security
Surprised residents of the Carranza’s Prospect Lefferts Garden building peered out of their windows as dozens of protesters strengthened their position with the help of a loudspeaker.
A DOE spokesman said that Carranza was at home at the time and was participating in a virtual funeral for the death of a family member. It is not clear whether he is hear the choir outside.
The home visit was conducted when the Panel for Education Policy chose to recommend that the DOE be assigned to ensure school safety and class order in lieu of the NYPD.
Calls for this transfer have intensified after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minnesota earlier this month and the subsequent wave of anger towards police departments across the country.
While school security agents – who are 90 percent African-American and Hispanic and 70 percent female – are unarmed, critics claim that their relationship with the NYPD fosters a negative atmosphere for city children.
Some activist groups have demanded that they be replaced en masse with guidance counselors and social workers.
Those who are pushing for the change have stated that school staff will retain the choice to call the NYPD in the event of a severe or criminal situation.
The head of the school safety agent union, Greg Floyd, firmly opposed this shift, arguing that classrooms were insecure and chaotic before the NYPD takeover of school safety in 1998.
President Federation of Teachers’ Union Michael Mulgrew has signaled his willingness to disconnect the NYPD from the city school.
“The safety of students and staff is our top priority,” he said in a statement. “We are in the middle of a pandemic and the Ministry of Education is trying to find ways to reopen 1,800 schools in September. If people want a long-term plan on how to move or rethink school safety, we would love to be part of that work. “
