WHEREAS, the families of murdered community college students, such as 22-year old Latinx Sean Monterrosa [2] and 28-year old Latinx Alex Nieto [3] from City College of San Francisco, 22-year old Black Stephon Clark [4] from Sacramento City College, and 18-year old Latinx Andres Guardado [5] from LA Trade Tech, have been in the pursuit of justice for their families while pursuing their education;
WHEREAS, impacted family members that are community college students are facing a lack of resources such as financial, mental health, and academic challenges, along with ongoing trauma, and grief while attending a California college community, the largest educator of California police officers, with 80% of police officers receiving community college training [5]; and
WHEREAS, the Student Senate California Community College adopted an anti-racist student plan of action [6] focused on addressing inequity among the most vulnerable student populations, and the most impacted family falls within the intersection of underrepresented communities and communities hurt by violence; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage colleges to provide scholarships and resources for impacted family members to further their education;
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges create a scholarship in the honor of community college students who were murdered by the police with the criteria that the funds could be used to provide impacted families financial, mental health, academic assistance, and other resources to help students succeed; and
RESOLVED, that the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work with affected individuals to develop criteria for the scholarship fund and to participate on the scholarship oversight group to recommend scholarships.
Citation 1: https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/states
Citation 2: Suspected Looter Was Kneeling and Had a Hammer, Not a Gun, When Fatally Shot By Vallejo Police – NBC Bay Area
Citation 3: Death by gentrification: the killing that shamed San Francisco | San Francisco | The Guardian
Citation 4: Sacramento Man Fatally Shot by the Police in His Backyard - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Citation 5: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/08/community-college-chief-wants-police -training-changes/
Citation 6: https://studentsenateccc.org/news-events/newsroom/newsroom.html/article/2020/09/06/ssccc-anti-racism-a-student-plan-of-action
The SSCCC recognizes the profound and lasting impact of police violence on students, families, and communities across California—particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds. We affirm the importance of supporting community college students who have been directly or indirectly affected by such violence.
In alignment with the spirit of this resolution, the SSCCC currently offers a scholarship that can be used to support students impacted by trauma, financial hardship, or systemic injustice, including those affected by police violence. This scholarship is intended to help address barriers such as mental health challenges, academic disruption, and financial insecurity.
While the SSCCC does not have the capacity at this time to create and manage a separate scholarship fund in honor of individuals killed by police, we remain open to continuing conversations with impacted individuals and communities about how to best support student healing, justice, and success. We also continue to encourage colleges and districts to expand support services, including dedicated scholarships and trauma-informed resources, for students and families navigating the effects of systemic violence.