Denver police officers went classroom by classroom at a largely
minority high school and asked teenagers for their IDs as they looked
for a suspect in a shooting, reported The Associated Press.
Several students spoke out, saying the
April 24 search made them feel targeted, disrespected and unsafe.
“We should not be treated like animals that have just run
away from a shelter. We should be treated like humans, like students,” said
Mary Jimenez, a 17-year-old junior at Rise Up Community School. “Because we are
students of color and students of low income, we get harassed and pushed around
and we’re expected not to fight back.
“We need our respect and we need answers,” she said to loud
applause.
Denver police have launched an internal investigation,
Denver Department of Public Safety executive director Troy Riggs said.
“What happened should not have happened,” Denver Public
Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg said.
The search occurred at the small alternative charter school
for students ages 16 through 20 who have dropped out of traditional schools or
who are at risk of leaving school. Principal Lucas Ketzer said officers looked
for the juvenile suspect over his objections, which he said caused students to
feel unsafe and intimidated.
Police pushed a teacher away from her classroom after she
said she wouldn’t allow them to enter without a warrant and pulled a gun on a
teacher who went out a back door looking for students in an alley where they
sometimes hang out, he said.
“I have heard the concerns from the community and
independent monitor regarding the incident that occurred at the RiseUp
Community School, and an administrative investigation was opened this morning
to review the incident,” said Riggs, referring to the civilian oversight agency
for Denver’s police and sheriff departments.
The principal questioned whether police would have conducted
such a search at a school with more affluent students. He said his students commonly
report feeling intimidated by police outside of school and that the search
showed teachers working to gain their confidence cannot protect them from that.
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