Public School Students, Advocates Rally To Save Anti-Abuse Program
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Elected officials join public school students on the steps of City Hall Thursday for a rally to restore funding of the teen Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP).
The mayor's budget would eliminate funding for the program.
Those at the rally said RAPP needs to be saved because it is the city's most cost-effective program to prevent violence, bullying and other abusive behavior at school, home and the community.
"RAPP has affected my life tremendously, as a matter of fact," said RAPP supporter Hanzy Gaston. "In high school I used to be a vagrant. I used to be acting up in high school, and it got me, helped shape me up, got my life together."
"When I was a part of RAPP, they actually helped me. I used to have racial abuse problems that went on, so I used to how to handle myself when it comes to those situations," said RAPP supporter Bibi Chowdhury. "When students used to have problems, I never used to know how to talk to them. I used to never give them like welcoming hands and what not. Now I actually know how to talk to students."
A spokesperson for the city's Human Resources Administration says the agency had to make tough budget choices.