Editor's note: Below is a letter submitted to the San Jose City Council before the recent 2025-2026 budget vote that included the...

May 22nd, 2025 -- San Jose Police conducted a sweep on houseless encampments along the Guadalupe River in San Jose, CA. They told residents of the encampments that the sweep would take place in June and then suddenly descended on the encampment. The sweeps are part of an ongoing campaign by Mayor Matt Mahan whose self-proclaimed “innovative” policies on houselessness include the recently proposed Responsibility to Shelter policy, which creates a new police unit to arrest hous

Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen claims his filing of felony charges on 12 individuals for their protest against the genocide in Palestine were "not political." Author Zach Kirk, who attended the DA's press conference, explains how the prosecutions are explicitly political acts.

In the new presidential regime Author J.M. Valle calls out the lies that crime is rampant and urges the county of Santa Clara to investigate

Author Raj Jayadev explains why San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan will be remembered as San Jose's Mass Incarceration Mayor.

E ntering the brick corridors of San Quentin and the sweltering gates at Solano, it was not lost on me that almost no man I knew ever...

On behalf of the San Jose NAACP, Raymond Goins submitted the following letter to the Presiding Judge of the Palo Alto Court.

Despy Madrid is a 17 year old activist and writer from Tracy California.

Author Zach Kirk reflects and examines the California Supreme Court Justice Liu's dissent that calls to reflection the misreading of Califor

On behalf of the San Jose NAACP, Raymond Goins submitted the following letter to the Presiding Judge of the Palo Alto Court. The call, signed onto by numerous groups, is to remove a wall size mural lining the halls of the court house that lionizes colonialization. Another letter by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council was also submitted.

The Pipeline to Deportation Starts at the Moment of Arrest T his conversation is from a webinar that we hosted on using Participatory...

The 2014 discovery of "Chicana" and what appears to be "Aztlán" on the Diego Gutierrez Map is largely unknown

Raj Jayadev writes in honor of the late Jeff Moore, San Jose Civil Rights Icon

Prop 36 takes effect this week. And though the election is over, the fight to protect our communities from it's aim of mass incarceration and mass deportation is just beginning. The danger of Prop 36, and how to prevent it's harm, is located in how DA's make charging decisions. How prosecutors wield their discretion at the charging level will make all the determination if someone will face a prison sentence, or a felony, or a deportable offense, or not.

Illo by AD Avila I was in Norristown, Pennsylvania a couple days after the election.  I went to celebrate the five year anniversary of...

Due to the Racial Justice Act, people can now point to racial bias to challenge a charge, conviction or sentence. Who better than communities of color themselves to be the authoritative voice to explain the racism of the system? Author Xavier España explains how the Racial Justice Act can be a vehicle for community voice.

We came together to discuss why & how we must beat back slavery in prisons & the return of the failed drug war. YES to Prop 6 and NO to Prop 36. Featuring impacted community leaders who have long advocated for the incarcerated, the houseless, those w/ mental health needs, & communities of color. Panelists include Sandy Perry (South Bay Land Trust), Yvonne Maxwell (Ujima), Cecilia Chavez (De-Bug), J. Vasquez (CURYJ), Xavier Espana (De-Bug).

Author Donovan, is a campaign ambassador for the Yes on 6 campaign and he writes how a job while incarcerated in CDCR takes priority over rehabilitative programs, vocational classes and even family visits - a failing of the system to rehabilitate and prepare people to return to their communities with skills and experience. If Prop 6 is approved by voters it will help eliminate those obstacles to rehabilitation by banning forced prison labor.

Starting October 15th, 2024 - the Santa Clara County Sheriffs will be armed with tasers in the jail and on patrol. A mother of a son didn't know if he would survive the abuse in jail, a daughter whose father was killed by law enforcement, and a prisoners rights advocate share the deadly implications of Santa Clara County approving tasers. (Photo by Daniel Zapien)

Editor's Note: While other Bay Area cities are noting successful barbershop meetings to improve relationships between police and the...