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

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

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

Local San Jose photographer felt a fire ignite in her at last year's Women's March and now she invites you to feel the same as she prepares for Saturday's march where women across the country and world stand up together!

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.

Raj Jayadev - SV De-Bug - November 29, 2024 - 8 minute read I was in Norristown, Pennsylvania a couple days after the election.  I went to celebrate the five year anniversary of the Reuniting Family Bail Fund and participatory defense hub there. It was an awkward time to be at any sort of celebration with the election results so fresh - and to be in Pennsylvania especially since the state was so prominently featured as a swing state that went Trump. Norristown itself is a so

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)

Author Raymond Goins writes that Prop 36 is the criminalization of survival, and would bring California back to an era of the War on Drugs that decimated Black and Brown communities.

Many people believe slavery is part of America's past. But involuntary servitude is an accepted practice in California prisons. Proposition 6, on the 2024 ballot, would end the practice of forced labor in CDCR. Author Xavier España shares what it is like to work for next to nothing while locked up.

Editor's Note: After hunger strikes, federal consent decrees, and a slew of civil rights lawsuits around conditions inside the jail, and abuses the detained faced - the County created an independent oversight body called OCLEM. The county awarded a contract to a firm called OIR to run OCLEM. But after a few years of implementation, the oversight is not what the community hoped for. A new Sheriff proposal to arm officers with Tasers was essentially endorsed by OIR, raising a k

Editor's Note: Author Santos Loyola shares his journey from feeling like another male in juvenile hall - to becoming a teen father and looking to school and faith to transform his life for the better.

Despite marketing a progressive position, the Santa Clara District Attorney's Office has opposed every Racial Justice Act filed on behalf of community members. Now they are claiming the fight for racial justice victimizes them - the prosecutor.

For decades police and prosecutors have racially profiled, arrested, and incarcerated Latino community members in Santa Clara County. Now, due to the Racial Justice Act -- these discriminatory practices are being challenged in the courts.

High school student Jordyn travelled to the State Capitol to advocate for legislation for the first time. She recounts the day and how rewarding it was to see the bill move to the next step.