The day before the school year ended at Pacoima Charter Elementary School, Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer Michael Scott rallied students to pledge to say no to drugs, gangs, crime and bullying.
Before the hula hoop contests, dance contests and prize raffles, students held one hand in the air and recited a pledge in English, led by Scott, and Spanish, led by a surprise guest, legendary Dodger Manny Mota.
“I pledge to say no to drugs. I pledge to say no to joining a gang. I pledge to say no to crime. I pledge to say no to bullying. I will respect and honor my parents. I will respect and learn from my teachers. I will respect and be courteous to others. I will respect and believe in myself.”
When many no longer hear what was once a nationwide mantra to “Just Say No” Officer Scott has persisted in using the theme and has even added to it by including the message to say “No” to other destructive lures.
“I think those are the core values that a child should know, should learn,” said Scott. “The school decides how they’re going to implement this pledge and teach it to their students.”
This was the 63rd rally that Scott has held since his start in 2015, with over 35,000 kids across LA signing the pledge, as part of the LAPD Community Safety Partnership (CSP) program. For the third year, over 900 Pacoima Charter Elementary students, ranging from preschool to sixth grade took the pledge.
“Once the entire school signs the pledges, we respond with a rally,” said Scott. “This is basically a celebration for them [pledging to] saying no.”
Scott emceed the hour-and-a-half-long rally, keeping spirits high and energized despite squirming students and the late morning heat. Kids screamed with excitement when their teacher won a dance competition, or their name was drawn to pick a prize from the spread of toys and Dodgers memorabilia.
Pacoima Charter Elementary Principal Sylvia Fajardo said the rally comes at the end of a month-long process of teachers discussing these topics with students in the classroom, having students sign written pledges and holding workshops with parents.
Fajardo said the rally and pledges work, “because it’s a culmination of activities that they’ve [the students] done since day one,” and “because of the trust they have in the officers.”
Planting Seeds
“They’re not just here for this event. They’re here the whole year,” said Fajardo.
Pacoima Charter Elementary is located across the street from the San Fernando Gardens housing project, where many of the students live, and where the Foothill Division CSP Bureau headquarters is located.
Established in 2011, CSP uses, “community relationship strategies to strengthen trust between law enforcement and the community,” through “long-term relationships, enhanced community capacity and community partnering,” which they say leads to “decreased crime and improved community perception of safety.”
Fajardo said the students “have a really close relationship with the officers,” adding that, “Officer Scott is a hit here. He’s like a Superstar.”
Scott has over 25 years of service as an officer. He has worked in divisions across LA – as a patrol officer, in the narcotics division, in youth services and as special detail out of the Chief’s office.
Growing up as a Black child in Pacoima, he understands the community, where they are coming from and the obstacles these kids will encounter as they grow up.
“I remember being bullied as a child. I remember gangs as a child. … No one ever explained it to you or helped you out,” said Scott. “Here’s an opportunity for these kids to feel that someone’s listening to them. That we’re on the same page. … I think it opens them up to think … ‘I’m going to believe in myself and I’m going to be just fine.’”
“We’re planting those seeds that will grow long after we’re gone,” said Scott. “I think those seeds will come out when they’re facing these issues. Where they have choices [to make]. Now they’ve been given information [so that] they can be able to say no with confidence.”
Changing Community Perceptions of Law Enforcement
“Some of them are seeing officers for the first time and in a good light,” said Scott.
When Fajardo first started teaching at the school in 1998, it was a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In 2000 the Los Angeles Times named it one of the 100 worst schools in LA.
“In 2003, we separated from the district and became an independent charter,” said Fajardo. “Now we outperform all the [LAUSD] schools in the area.”
Though it took a while for the police to build the trust that they now have with the neighborhood, Fajardo believes the CSP program “is one of the best things that ever happened to our community.”
Parents used to call the school when they saw a police car parked outside, thinking the officers were responding to an incident, but now it makes parents “feel safe” to see the cars patrolling the area because they know the officers are ensuring the students have a safe passage to school, she said.
“They changed the perception that the community had about police officers,” said Fajardo.
‘Just Say No’
In the 1980s President Ronald Reagan’s administration launched a “War on Drugs,” cracking down on substance abuse and raising prison penalties for drug crimes, including nonviolent drug offenses. First Lady Nancy Reagan championed the “Just Say No” campaign during her husband’s presidency, aiming to discourage children from engaging in illegal recreational drug use.
During this time, in 1983, LAPD chief Daryl Gates and LAUSD started the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, where students are paired with local police officers in an effort to reduce drug use, gang membership and violence – pledging to “just say no.”
Despite the popularity of these programs, numerous studies – including ones funded by the National Institute of Justice and the California Department of Education – concluded that they had little to no long-term impact on the students’ consumption of drugs and alcohol.
Although many of the programs have lost support over the years, Scott believes deeply in the work that he is doing, and said he will continue the rallies “until time ends, because it’s needed.”
“They’re hearing it from an officer and they they know the sincerity of it. They know that we’re not just saying that to say it,” said Scott. “It’s coming from … an officer that’s engaged with them, with their teachers present and their peers present.”
His personal observations on the effectiveness of these rallies have also differed from the studies.
“We see these kids on the daily and they’re always engaging us. They still talk about the rallies days later, weeks later, months later, years later, they’re still talking about it,” said Scott. “Their friendships and their engagement with us become more like a family. They want to let us know that they’re doing well.”
The program at Pacoima Elementary Charter may have more of an impact because of Officer Scott’s enthusiasm and ongoing relationship with the community.
“If we’ve changed one child, we’ve done something,” said Scott. “We put our effort into changing a child and to give him a different avenue.”