Restore Funding & Resources for Impacted Families of Gun Violence & Police Brutality

In Spring 2021, the SSCCC Delegates passed Resolution S21.04.07 Restore Funding & Resources for Impacted Families of Gun Violence & Police Brutality. This Resolution called for the SSCCC to create a scholarship in honor of community college students who were murdered by the police and work with affected individuals to develop a criteria for scholarship awards from the fund. The Resolution also called for the SSCCC to encourage colleges to provide scholarships and resources to impacted family members to further their education. Use the toolkit below to advocate for funding and resources to be provided for impacted families of gun violence and police brutality on your campus. 

S21.04.07 Restore Funding & Resources for Impacted Families of Gun Violence & Police Brutality 
Authors: Ashley Monterrosa, and Michelle Monterrosa
Sponsor: City College of San Francisco 

WHEREAS, police violence in California resulted in 1,349 people killed by the police from 2013-2020 [1], with 204 being Black and 541 being Latinx, and in some instances both victims and impacted families are part of the community college system; 

WHEREAS, the families of murdered community college students, such as 22-year old Latinx Sean Monterrosa [2] and 28-year old Latinx Alex Nieto [3] from City College of San Francisco, 22-year old Black Stephon Clark [4] from Sacramento City College, and 18-year old Latinx Andres Guardado [5] from LA Trade Tech, have been in the pursuit of justice for their families while pursuing their education; 

WHEREAS, impacted family members that are community college students are facing a lack of resources such as financial, mental health, and academic challenges, along with ongoing trauma, and grief while attending a California college community, the largest educator of California police officers, with 80% of police officers receiving community college training [5]; and 

WHEREAS, the Student Senate California Community College adopted an anti-racist student plan of action [6] focused on addressing inequity among the most vulnerable student populations, and the most impacted family falls within the intersection of underrepresented communities and communities hurt by violence; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage colleges to provide scholarships and resources for impacted family members to further their education; 

RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges create a scholarship in the honor of community college students who were murdered by the police with the criteria that the funds could be used to provide impacted families financial, mental health, academic assistance, and other resources to help students succeed; and 

RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work with affected individuals to develop criteria for the scholarship fund and to participate on the scholarship oversight group to recommend scholarships.

Citation 1: https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/states 

Citation 2:  Suspected Looter Was Kneeling and Had a Hammer, Not a Gun, When Fatally Shot By Vallejo Police – NBC Bay Area

Citation 3: Death by gentrification: the killing that shamed San Francisco | San Francisco | The Guardian

Citation 4: Sacramento Man Fatally Shot by the Police in His Backyard - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Citation 5: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/08/community-college-chief-wants-police -training-changes/ 

Citation 6: https://studentsenateccc.org/news-events/newsroom/newsroom.html/article/2020/09/06/ssccc-anti-racism-a-student-plan-of-action