On Wednesday, November 12, my group members and I had the pleasure of meeting with the Head Organizer of the Police Reform Organizing Project. (PROP)Prop is a non-profit organization whose mission is to stop the current ineffective, unjust, discriminatory, and racially biased practices of the NYPD; to investigate police priorities and punish abusive conduct; and to implement local problem solving measures that strengthen communities while reducing crime. We visited him at his current workplace, the Neighborhood Housing Service on Broadway and W36th street in Times Square. While there, we interviewed him on his organization and life as a social activist. He told us about PROP’s work and how they help bridge the gap that is ever present in our current justice system. For example, PROP is working on a “court monitoring” project. PROP staff, interns and volunteers, sit in on proceedings at different arraignment and summons courts in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. During the court visits they sit-in on multiple court proceedings and record the relevant information about each case. Their “court monitoring” also includes speaking with both lawyers and defendants. Along with this,he told us about how he plans to expand their brand through social media. “Sites like Facebook and Twitter are a great gateway to the public. People are constantly updating one another with news through these sites.” This was a great way to learn about how to successfully run an organization and get one’s message out. We also met Ms. Ashley Coneys, the educational workshop leader for PROP. Upon meeting her, we discussed possibly scheduling a ‘Know Your Rights’ workshop for our grade, which will hopefully benefit us all. We hope that through this visit, we be able to create ties with the organization that not only we can use come future, but also for the next group of Eighth graders.
