The Black Organizing Project (BOP) is a grassroots, member-led organization who is working to: Develop Black leaders through political education and community building, dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and end the over criminalization of Black youth and families.

Community, led by the Black Organizing Project, eliminated the Oakland Unified School District Police department June 24th, 2020. As the year anniversary of our historic George Floyd Resolution (GFR) approaches, we celebrate the work that BOP and community partners have done to ensure police free schools are successfully implemented in OUSD over this last year.

Although great strides have been made within OUSD and Oakland, our students and families have still been subjected to the culture of policing that has permeated our broader community, ideologies and it’s practices. This includes the less obvious but just as harmful forms of policing such as surveillance and other forms of law enforcement partnerships with our school district. As we approach this important time stamp, we call on the community to go even further when we think, talk about and implement “police free” schools.

In 2018 we coined the term Black Sanctuary after launching our original Black Sanctuary Pledge where we asked teachers and school staff to pledge not to call police or ICE on Black and Brown students for non-violent issues— after learning of an overwhelming amount of over 6k calls to police on students (made in just two school years).

*Ironically in a time where the national conversation of Sanctuary was in many households, we had to reckon with the harsh reality that schools and communities have never been a sanctuary for Black students, who have been disproportionately policed and criminalized here in Oakland and abroad.

Now years later we are asking teachers, school staff, and invested community members to recommit to Black Sanctuary by getting familiar with BOPs police-free school work and getting involved. There are also direct ways to support the implementation of Black Sanctuary as well as share this information out widely.

• No policing agencies on campus

• No other forms of policing such as surveillance, drones, detectors, etc

• No further contracting with criminalization entities like probation, OPD and other community policing models

• No collaboration between BART police departments, Housing police, etc

• No COPS on campus as mentors

• Not criminalizing youth for things like truancy, dress code, language, etc

What does it look like to have a “Black Sanctuary” in Oakland Schools

• Fostering relationships with community leaders and CBOS to support campus ecosystem

• Investing in resources that supports the whole child

• Culturally relevant curriculum, and extracurricular activities

• Hiring adults that don't fear Black youth

• Hiring Black and POC teachers/school staff

• Develop circles of accountability in your community and on campus that include students and parents to talk about school climate,culture, and safety

• School staff mitigate harm by directing police to get off campus if there is no eminent danger , tell them to leave

• A Community collective process that involves CBOS, parents, students, teachers, and community stakeholders to craft alternatives for safety

How can we uphold Black Sanctuary if we are outside of school campuses

• Direct students, parents, Black folks, and community members to get involved with BOP

• Post up signage of police free schools , and talk to your network about whats happening in Oakland

• Hold accountability circles in your community to start the conversation about police-free schools and connect those folks with BOP  

• Support alternatives models

• Investing in Black spaces, and POC organizations doing decriminalization and abolition work  

• Help be BOPs eyes and ears on the streets and watch out for police targeting youth

We are calling on you, the community made up of educators, parents, students and invested community members to recommit yourselves to making sure Oakland and OUSD becomes a Black Sanctuary for good, and a place Black, Brown and all residents can thrive without the fear of potential police violence and terror.

As a supporter of BOP , I pledge to fight to make sure Oakland Unified School District and the city of Oakland is a sanctuary for all students. I pledge to not contribute to the criminalization of Black students by participating in the following:

I _______________ Pledge

• To stand as an advocate and witness for students and parents threatened by any law enforcement agency on or around school campuses

• Follow the guidelines outlined in OUSD’s police-free response to

• Not calling the police for:

  • Mental health incidents

  • Fights

  • Stand by and Preserving the Peace

  • Disturbing the Peace (this is illegal!)

• To support BOP’s work by condemning any type of policing happening on or around school property

• To be a Black Sanctuary Ambassador by informing BOP if any witnessed incidents involving policing of Oakland students and families on or around school property (reach out to info@blackorgnizingproject.org, jessica@blackorganizingproject.org)

• Be a keeper of culture & climate by adhering to the Black Sanctuary Pledge and supporting to design ways that the shift can happen

• To be contacted by BOP organizers to see how to support building Black Sanctuary and implement police-free schools