The latest incidents of Black people being killed by police have brought the brutality and injustice of the police system in the United States to the center of public attention. The DGSC Steering Committee notes that CUNY jeopardizes the safety and well-being of students, and facilitates NYPD access to students, through its formal ties and agreements.

The GC currently employs two sergeants and five peace officers as part of its security detail, and these officers have powers of arrest and are empowered to use lethal force in pursuit of a suspect. Before 1992, CUNY did not employ peace officers at any of its campuses.

The DGSC Steering Committee condemns any participation of the Graduate Center in the Prison Industrial Complex, including contracts with corporations using prison labor. We call on the GC and CUNY at large to sever all official ties with the NYPD. The GC must ensure that police are not allowed on campus, or used as security for any events, and transition its
public safety team to one that is entirely unarmed, has no powers to arrest or use lethal force, and whose training and management is controlled by the GC.

The full text of the resolution is available on the website here.