Students at a Denver high school were shown a video Tuesday that told them not to call the police if they observe a racist or transphobic attack.
Tuesday was the first day back for students at Denver’s South High School, and they were promptly shown a video that told them to get involved during racially motivated attacks but not to call the police, according to the Denver Gazette. The video was produced by the Barnard Center for Research on Women and was released in 2017.
In the video, entitled “Don’t Be a Bystander: 6 Tips for Responding to Racist Attacks,” the narrator begins by saying, “the United States has a long history of violence against people of color, disabled people, Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ people.”
The fourth tip of the six proposed in the video is “Avoid The Police,” despite the video being about witnessing criminal activity. “Armed police presence often escalates, rather than reduces, the risk of violence in a situation,” the video’s narrator explains. “Because police have been trained to see people of color, gender non-conforming folks and Muslims as criminals, they often treat victims as perpetrators of violence.”
The narrator notes, “So, if the victim hasn’t asked you to call the police, do not – I repeat – do not call the police.” The school is being deeply criticized by law enforcement as the video also suggested that child-aged students get involved when they witness a racist attack, the Gazette reported.
The Denver Police Foundation (DPF) provided a statement to the Gazette calling the video “dismaying” and “reprehensible” and criticizing the school for showing it to students. “While it is commendable of school administration to educate students relative to possible responses to racial attacks at school, it is reprehensible of them to include a tip that specifically states not to contact police while simultaneously telling students they should put themselves front and center of the exchange,” the statement read. (RELATED: Joe Rogan Says 9-Year-Old Daughter’s California School Pushed ‘Anti-Racist’ Ideology On Students)
“Sharing this advice is irresponsible as, first and foremost, there are bias-motivated acts that are mandatory report situations and delayed reporting causes more harm to the victim. It also puts students in situations they are not trained to handle. Additionally, it discourages cooperation of the victim, potentially leading to no accountability of the offender and their behavior, and lastly, it portrays officers as the problem in the situation,” the DPF concluded.
Denver South High School Principal Rachel Goss acknowledged that the video was shown to students in a statement on the school’s website. The intention behind the school showing the video was to “provide empowerment for people who may witness these types of attack, not to have any sort of negative impact on the longstanding relationship between the Denver Public Schools and the Denver Police Department,” Goss claimed.
You can watch the full video here: