De-Bug organizers, Yolanda and Cynthia, joined Pillars of the Community Participatory Defense Hub in San Diego in support of Anthony Williams and his family. Anthony had a Racial Justice Act (RJA) evidentiary hearing challenging the racial disparities of Special Circumstance and Life Without the Possibility of Parole sentences. Below is Yolanda and Cynthia's court reporting from the 3 day RJA hearing.

The Racial Justice Act prohibits bias or discrimination in charging, conviction, and sentencing based on a defendant's race, ethnicity, or national origin, but its implementation has been slow going. Many District Attorneys are refusing to hand over the data necessary to file statistical claims. Judges are interpreting the RJA according to their own understanding of race, the law, and what they think the proper remedy is. AB 1958 (Kalra) seeks to clarify the RJA.

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.

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.

Editor's Note: The Protect Your People Public Safety & Justice Committee Community Report was assembled by De-Bug families and organizers...

illo : AD Avila July 31, 2024 To: County of Santa Clara, Board of Supervisors 70 West Hedding Street East Wing, 10th Floor San Jose, CA...

Editor's Note: Raj Jayadev outlines why Santa Clara County's use of Zero Dollar Bail during the pandemic is still a reality and should be...

The Pipeline to Deportation Starts at the Moment of Arrest T his conversation is from a webinar that we hosted on using Participatory Defense to fight deportation. It is an amazing and important conversation led by people who have been directly impacted by the intersection of the criminal and immigration systems. With the current administration we need to make sure we are prepared and ready to fight for our immigrant families, & as you will see, the speakers in this webinar a