Despite the $56 million shortfall, the Mayor is still calling for a budget that prioritizes policing as a strategy to criminalize, unhouse, and gentrify our community while lining the pockets of housing and tech developers to create a San Jose that belongs to the wealthy. It is a budget that deems those of us who have built San Jose for generations as expendable.

Below is an anonymous testimony from a family member that saw her loved one taken by ICE from Elmwood County Jail. The testimony was read at a protest outside of Elmwood's Visitor Center, right where community members are being kidnapped by ICE. Since June 2025, 46 community members have been detained as they were being released by Elmwood to reunite with their families.

As of the beginning of March 2026, there have been 46 people confirmed to have been taken in the last six months by ICE immediately upon release from Elmwood Jail in Milpitas. While County officials say they do not cooperate with ICE the fear of a loved one being detained from Elmwood Jail is real and this author is calling on the County to honor the sanctuary policy.

San Jose Unified School District is considering closing multiple schools including Gardener Elementary School in the Gardener neighborhood in San Jose. Many parents and students are speaking out and demanding the district keep their schools and communities together. One of the students, Ethan, a 5th grader at Gardener Elementary, gave his speech at the hearing.

In the face of a $470 million county deficit, the Santa Clara County DA’s office is making their case to avoid cuts to their budget. In his plea, DA Rosen equated his office to the concept of justice itself. Raj Jayadev explains how the reality is just the opposite.

Illustration by: F. Bonowicz On January 21 2026, while Mohamed Husien was fleeing for his life from the SJPD, six shots exploded from San Jose Police Department officers’ firearms. The bullets found their home in Mohamed's back. He fell, and as he lay in the middle of the streets time came to a halt. Silence filled the air. 1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, 3 one thousand 4 one thousand. Then, like an off-road vehicle racing to the finish line, a San Jose Police SUV speeds over

Due to the Santa Clara County jail not providing adequate healthcare for the detained, they are currently facing a “contempt motion” for being out of compliance of a federal consent decree. The consent decree was the result of the county trying to resolve a lawsuit (Chavez vs. Santa Clara County) over inhumane conditions brought on by those detained. But seven years later, the issues persist. Community organizer and advocate Rudy Cuevas reports from inside the Elmwood Correct

San Mateo County Participatory Defense Organizer Jamilah Rosales-Webb writes about a major prima facie win in her hometown of East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. A breakthrough for CRJA claims, Chris Echols, through his attorney Roscoe Elliot, won a major hurdle to challenge the entire infrastructure of the Menlo Park Police gang database that has criminalized Black and Brown individuals in the community for years.

Editor's Note : Our Participatory Defense family from St. Paul, MN Damon Drake speaks to us about the impact of ICE raids in currently happening in Minneapolis. Damon talks about how their community is supporting families affected by ICE by providing food, school transportation, and help within the court system. In order to get through this moment, Damon emphasizes the need for unity among different communities to resist ICE and the divide & conquer tactics used by law enforc

Open Letter Regarding San Jose Police Department’s Sweep on January 15th, 2026

Xavier España detail a recent RJA violation found against a District Attorney Office expert witness who tried to associate the Latinx community with domestic violence to prove the defendant was guilty.

Editor's Note: Welcome to the De-Bug the System Podcast! This episode of "The Discrimination Playbook: ICE at the Super Bowl & How it Relates to Local Policing" discusses the consistent threats from the federal administration that ICE agents will be present in Santa Clara County for the Super Bowl and how this relates to local policing. Our conversation covers ICE activity already happening in Santa Clara County, especially at our local jails, the relationship of ICE violence

Pictured above: memorial set up for Mohamed Husien near site of incident in San Jose. The video footage of the police savagely killing Mohamed Husien on Julian Street on January 21,2026 should outrage anyone who cares about the people of San Jose and the sanctity of life. The clip shows Husien running away from officers then suddenly, and viciously, is run over by an SJPD vehicle that accelerated to hit him. While on the ground, police then unload a spray of bullets, some of

Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to Santa Clara County judges calling on the reinstatement of Zero Dollar Bail - a policy that came through a state mandate during the height of COVID to reduce jail populations. It made misdemeanors and most low level felonies into zero dollar bail so people don't have to stay in jail simply due to their inability to pay. When it was in effect, the jail population went down dramatically (and no increase of crime). The state later l

A Cornerstone of National & International Sporting Events What makes the impossible task of moving hundreds of unhoused people out of sight suddenly an undertaking worth taking? An imagined bounty – for the idea of prosperity for some – the City of San Jose will spend money without a second thought – even in the face of unprecedented budget deficits. That’s what the city of San Jose is once again doing with Superbowl 60 and the FIFA World Cup coming to the Bay Area in 2026. 

I n an attempt to silence and intimidate a community leader who advocates for justice for her brother who was killed by Woodland Police, the Yolo County DA charged her with a rarely used criminal charge - threat by electronic device. The accusation stemmed from a YouTube video Marissa Barrera posted laying out facts of her brother’s death, and giving general descriptive information about the officer who killed him - Richard Wright.   On February 8, 2017, Officer Wright, along

This episode of the De-Bug the System Podcast, "The Discrimination Playbook: Hiding and Arresting Poverty in San Jose for the Super Bowl & World Cup" dives into what the Super Bowl and World Cup coming to the Bay Area means for the most vulnerable in San Jose in 2026. We reflect on San Jose's iteration of the common-used playbook that uses public resources and police to hide and arrest poverty locally for the up-scale appearance for our wealthy guests coming to town. We are i

About a month and a half separated Donald Trump from issuing an executive order that mimicked the “responsibility to shelter” policy of San Jose’s Mayor, Matt Mahan.  The parallels between the policies have been written about locally and can be seen with an objective eye. What is missing from the dialogue is the core value that Matt Mahan and Donald Trump share: scapegoating the most vulnerable. As San Jose and the country at large grow tired of real issues like cost of li

On this episode of the De-Bug the System podcast, De-Bug organizer Ana sits down with participatory defense organizer Laila Aziz. Laila and her fellow organizers at Pillars of the Community, a San Diego based organization, held the San Diego County District Attorney accountable for racial disparities in sentencing. How did they do this? They held a People's Tribunal, inspired by movement leaders of the past.

Formerly incarcerated college student, Gabriel Singer , calls for support for the Firefighting Freedom Bill Package