The NYCLU respectfully submits testimony to the New York City Council Committee on Public Safety to oppose Int. 929, a bill that would require the New York Police Department to create a plan for the use of security perimeters at and around educational facilities. Creating a security perimeter plan for educational facilities threatens to undo hard fought-for reforms and disproportionately harm traditionally marginalized and over-policed communities. Int. 929 threatens to undermine the NYPD protest settlement, could fuel the school to prison pipeline, and could increase fear among immigrant New Yorkers by increasing law enforcement presence around schools. Additionally, no record has established the need for Int. 929, and as written, the bill is not a transparency measure.
At a moment in time when the federal government is censoring and punishing political speech, it is imperative that our City not proceed down the same path. The NYCLU strongly urges the Council not to move Int. 929 in its current form and would be happy to discuss how the bill could be amended to create a measure that’s truly about transparency.
