Youth are the solution, not the problem.

The party patrol is a failed program that only serves to strengthen the school-to-prison pipeline. Please help stop R-19-199, which includes $150,000.00 designated for the so-called "Party Patrol" program.

Rather than investing in a program that criminalizes youthful behavior, the City of Albuquerque should, instead:

• prioritize funding of student support services like ABC Community Schools. Reinvesting $150,000.00 in wrap-around support services for young people is a step toward a long-term solution to making Albuquerque a safe place for everyone

• invest in positive programming at community centers for young people and their families

• increase access to free bus passes for young people

• empower the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council to determine how to invest the $150,000.00

Punitive net-widening programs like Party Patrol will sweep youth into the juvenile justice system. Young people of color, gay, transgender, and gender-nonconforming youth are already significantly overrepresented in the juvenile justice system.

The juvenile justice system is simply not equipped to manage the unique experiences and challenges that these young people face. As a consequence, the system often does more harm by unfairly criminalizing these youth— detaining them for minor offenses such as attending a party—in addition to subjecting them to discriminatory and harmful treatment that deprives them of their basic civil rights.