Anthony Weiner Causes Protest Over Education Position Without Even Being A Candidate For Office

Anthony Weiner may not be an official candidate in the New York City mayoral race, but the policies he would hypothetically enact are already drawing opposition.

Members of the Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC) and New Yorkers for Great Public Schools protested outside of Weiner’s Park Avenue South apartment Monday afternoon in response to a position he described in his “Keys To The City” policy paper, The New York Times reports.

Weiner released the policy paper several weeks ago, and it is seen as confirmation that the former congressman is very seriously considering a mayoral run.

Protestors were disturbed by Weiner's position on streamlining “the process for removing troublesome kids from the classroom," according to the UYC Facebook page. The page says that, if enacted, Weiner’s policy would “unfairly target black and Latino students, as last year 95.2% of the arrests and 89% of the suspensions were issued to black and Latino students."

The UYC brings “New York City youth together to fight for change through local and citywide organizing strategies” according to its website.

Weiner’s brief says nothing about race, but protestors used data about disciplinary practices during the Bloomberg administration to substantiate their claims, Gotham Schools reports. A press release about the protest stated that Weiner’s proposal “appears even more heavy-handed than Mayor Bloomberg’s ‘zero-tolerance’ approach that have [sic] resulted in huge racial disparities,” according to the outlet.

Protestors were not allowed inside Weiner’s building, although the building doorman did take a letter the protestors wrote for the former congressman, The New York Times reports.

Protestor Chima Agwu, 20, said Weiner is “asking for a second chance, but … not giving the students a second chance,” according to the Times. Agwu made the comment in reference to the Twitter scandal that forced the former congressman to resign in 2011. “All they’re asking for is a second chance to get an education and better themselves,” she added.

While 70 percent of New York City students are black or Latino, they represent 93 percent of students arrested or cited for criminal behavior at schools, Gotham Schools reports.