Rationale
Police officers are expected to protect members of the community, but for many Americans the reality is quite different. Like 17-year-old Laquan McDonald of Chicago who was shot 16 times by a Chicago Police Officer; or Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice all cases involving lethal-force by police officers. Few issues have caused as much outrage and controversy in the US as those surrounding police brutality and other negative police-community relations. Examining the history of policing in our country will help us understand this heinous reality and offer insight into how we can improve our relationships amongst police and members of the community.
This unit was designed to ignite local community student-led activism through the use of restorative practices as a means to mend and forge positive relationships with police officers and the community. My students and I will explore, “what is the role of the police,” “what role did laws play in the militarization of police,” “what is police brutality,” and “how can citizens rebuild communities after trauma,” by participating in hypothetical situations and debates, independent journaling, and the use of restorative practices like peace circles and talking circles. This unit explores themes such as racial disparities, police militarization, police brutality, restorative practices, empathy and healing from trauma.
This integrated unit incorporates social studies goals as well as social emotional learning goals. The unit begins by analyzing how we see police and what experiences have shaped our points of view. It is important to understand where our points of view stem from and acknowledge biases we have. We will learn about the history of police militarization in our nation and about the laws and policies that ignited the line between the military and police to be blurred. Students will reflect on instances where they have seen unlawful treatment of citizens by police personnel. Both individually and collectively, students will then define what police brutality is and debate if focusing on its end solely will be enough to mend relationships amongst police and members of the community.
Students will have two culminating activities. The first will be to design their ideal police department. Students will create rules/laws, training, daily routines and requirements for their police officers. Students will write an essay explaining their choices as well as create a visual that they will present to local police officers alongside their class. Inviting police officers into the school and engaging in conversations will be the first step in repairing relationships that might have been harmed. Throughout the school year we will continue to build the relationships made. The second culminating activity is focused on healing from past trauma that might have been inflicted in our school community involving policing. Students will create a space where students school-wide can heal by acknowledging the trauma and making amends. This unit was designed with the intention of empowering students through the refining of their voice and the use of it to enact change.
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