On Tues., June 9, the Southwestern College Governing Board will be voting on Resolution No. 2183, which supports a state ban of carotid restraint training from the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and supports the college’s police department in their ban of the technique.
“Today, our Governing Board honors the voices who have peacefully demonstrated in our cities calling for action and change,” said Nora Vargas, Southwestern College Governing Board President. “I thank my colleagues for joining me today as we resolve to put an end to the training of this dangerous restraint practice. Our commitment continues to be the safety and well-being of our students and community and that includes standing up to injustice and systemic oppression.”
See the SWC Governing Board Resolution below:
WHEREAS, nationally, the higher education system is rooted in racism and anti-blackness that disproportionately impacts black students, other students of color and under-resourced students; and
WHEREAS, historically, when African American/Black citizens fought for a more democratic society, the lives of all people have improved and, conversely, each time barriers to African American/Black citizens’ potential have been erected, our whole society has suffered; and
WHEREAS, most of California’s police officers receive academic training at the California Community College system, either as students or as current officers receiving additional training; and
WHEREAS, African American/Black citizens, representing 6% of California’s population, are arrested and imprisoned in disproportionately at a rate of 25%; and
WHEREAS, Southwestern Community College District serves a diverse community of students, is the facilitator of limitless growth potential, with a vision to be the leader in equitable education that transforms the lives of students and communities; and
WHEREAS, Southwestern Community College District made a commitment and is actively taking actions to dismantle institutionalized racism and anti-blackness; and
WHEREAS, Southwestern Community College District supports the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s call to review and make changes to police instruction curriculum that better reflects the lived experiences of people of color, educates and challenges biases officers possess about different ethnic and racial communities, and rejects any order or consideration to take up arms against citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Southwestern College Police Department stands in solidarity with the black students and the community to fight to end systemic racism and social injustice and denounces police brutality and excessive force; and
WHEREAS, the Southwestern College Police Department has created a learning culture and implemented de-escalation and 21st Century Community Policing training; and
WHEREAS, the Southwestern College Police Academy includes an emphasis on Cultural Diversity in its curriculum and topics such as racial profiling, sexual harassment, hate crimes; and
WHEREAS, the Southwestern College Police Department is committed to embracing community policing, ensuring fair and impartial policing, building community capital, and honoring the trust of students, employees and the Governing Board; and
WHEREAS, while the arc of justice is long, and we will experience pain and setbacks, the pursuit of racial justice in institutions of higher education is core to our becoming a more free, equal, and democratic society; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Southwestern Community College District Governing Board affirms its commitment to equity and dismantling the impacts of institutionalized racism, founded on anti-blackness, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governing Board affirms its commitment to dismantling the effects of institutionalized racism, founded on anti-blackness, in law enforcement by:
- Supporting the Police Department’s continued implementation and training on de-escalation and biases, 21st Century Community Policing, community relations, and continued participation in restorative justice practices
- Supporting the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s efforts to review and revise police instruction curriculum to ensure the next generation of law enforcement officers understand the lived experiences of people of color and are equipped to enforce fairly with awareness of their own biases against other cultures and ethnicities
- Supporting the Southwestern College Police Department’s removal of the carotid restraint from their manual
- Ensuring the recruitment and hiring of Southwestern College’s new Police Chief reflects the values and commitments outlined in this resolution
- Calling for the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) to remove from the curriculum and training for existing and new police officers, and for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the San Diego Imperial Counties Community College Association to call on POST to remove the carotid restraint technique from all statewide, mandated training.
