Hamilton ends disputed program
Twenty-five-year police liaison program to stop in public school system
HAMILTON— They blocked traffic on Main Street, danced in a downpour and chanted that Black lives matter.
Six hours later, close to 100 students, former students and supporters erupted in cheers downtown after listening to the school board vote to end a controversial police liaison program in Hamilton public schools.
“We made history,” shouted a dancing Greg Dongen, a member of a coalition of Black and racialized residents calling for police to be “defunded” — and in this case, for cops to be pulled out of local schools.
The protest started Monday before 5 p.m. with a march down Main Street East that quickly took over the intersection of Main and Bay Street, forcing police to divert car traffic. Protest participants then staged a “sit-in” on Main Street near city hall as they awaited a debate on whether to end a contentious police liaison program in schools that some Black students have said makes them feel fearful or unfairly targeted.
Dozens of demonstrators danced in a heavy downpour Monday evening before settling in to listen to most of a six-hour meeting over a set of loudspeakers. “We want a full termination of this program,” said coalition member and student Gachi Issa. “Our voices, our stories, our experiences should be taken into account.”
The board had previously voted to review the program, but decided Monday to “terminate” and review issues with the 25year partnership with an eye to developing unspecified alternatives.
The vote means “proactive policing” efforts inside schools, including presentations on drugs and sexting, ceremonial activities and outreach and mediation efforts will stop — at least for now. Trustee Cam Galindo — who earned a cheer by voting to end the program by phone while standing at the downtown protest — said the school board has more than two decades to fix the program. “Enough is enough,” he said.