News and Views from the People's Struggle
San Jose, CA – On the evening of Friday, November 21, 20 people gathered on the corner of King Road and Alum Rock Avenue to protest the buildup of U.S. Navy presence off Venezuela. This is in the heart of Eastside San Jose, the home to many Chicano and Latino residents.
San Jose, CA – On the evening of Thursday, November 13, around 25 people gathered at the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission meeting to advocate for reparations for African Americans. Those present encouraged the commission to pass a recommendation on to the board of supervisors to assemble a reparations task force to research how reparations could be implemented in the county.
San Jose – On Thursday, August 2, dozens of people attended the Santa Clara County Housing, Land-Use, Environment, and Transportation (HLUET) subcommittee meeting and the San Jose City Council Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support (PSFSS) subcommittee meetings to demand that they divest from companies complicit in genocide.
At the HLUET subcommittee meeting people spoke to the County Supervisors Margaret Abe-Koga and Sylvia Arenas, calling on them to divest from fossil-fuel companies and to introduce and pass an ethical investment policy.
Tim Samson, member of San Jose Against War, spoke to the supervisors saying, “Chevron is one of the largest producers of fossil fuels for Israel with a significant stake in Israel’s energy sector. As a resident of this county, I see the human rights abuses of Palestinians as a local issue. The county has a moral obligation to divest from companies such as Chevron.”
A dozen more in-person and a handful of virtual attendees spoke of the people’s demand to divest from Chevron and their desire to see an ethical investment policy introduced and passed by the county.
At the San Jose PSFSS subcommittee, around two dozen people showed up to give public comment that is only available in-person. San Jose City has upwards of $50 million invested in companies complicit in Israel’s genocide in Palestine including Alphabet, Microsoft and Caterpillar.
This mobilization was a follow up from a previous city council meeting where Councilmember Peter Ortiz directed Finance Director Maria Oberg to provide report to present at the PSFSS meeting.
Drusie Kasanova, a member of San Jose Against War, spoke to the subcommittee saying, “I’m disappointed to hear the investigation on the city’s investment portfolio were not presented. But we are still here to mobilize and raise that concern and express our support for divestment in-line with the city’s ethical investment policy and to support divestment from Alphabet, Microsoft and Caterpillar.”
San Jose community member and Palestinian American Dina Saba stated, “The 2% of the city’s funds in these companies are investments supporting genocide, the mass slaughter of over 20,000 children, and intentional starvation by Israel and that is 1000% unacceptable.”
Saba continued, “I don’t want my beloved city’s investments supporting the mass slaughter of my family and my people.”
Two dozen more people spoke on supporting the moral obligation of divestment from companies complicit in enabling genocide in Palestine.
There are plans to continue the divestment campaign through applying pressure to the finance director and councilmembers to support divestment.
San Jose, CA – On Sunday, August 10, around 100 people gathered at the Federal Building in San Jose to demand an end to the siege on Gaza. The cutoff of aid going into Gaza has led to a man-made stage 5 famine which will lead to more deaths and irreversible damage to the people of Gaza.
San Jose, CA – On Saturday, July 12, 50 people gathered to hear Nora Barrows-Friedman speak at an event hosted by San Jose Against War. Barrows-Friedman is an associate editor for Electronic Intifada and co-host for the live show with the same name. She has been a reporter and broadcaster focusing on Palestine for more than 20 years and is the author of In Our Power: US Students Organize for Justice in Palestine.
San Jose, CA – On Saturday, June 28, anti-war activists filled a classroom to learn about the U.S./Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people and the climate crisis. The presentations shed light on U.S. corporations that support Israeli genocide, including Alphabet, Caterpillar and Microsoft.
Activists are demanding the San Jose City Council pull its investments from corporations aiding Israel’s war machine or doing business there. In addition, activists are demanding Santa Clara County divest from oil company Chevron for its role in fueling the genocide in Palestine and the climate crisis.
San Jose, CA – On Tuesday, June 17, around 200 people gathered at the steps of Dr. MLK, Jr Library to protest Israel’s “pre-emptive” strikes on Iran.
San Jose, CA – On Thursday, May 15, around 50 people gathered in downtown San Jose in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library to commemorate the 77th year of the ongoing Nakba.
Chants of “Free Palestine,” “BDS is our demand, no peace on stolen land” and “Stop bombing Gaza!” were heard throughout the streets of downtown.
San Jose, CA – On the evening of Monday, April 21, 30 people gathered at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center for the Mumia Freedom Tour hosted by the Freedom From Frame-Up Foundation. The focus of the event is to center the wrongful imprisonment of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a prolific journalist and Black Panther political prisoner, who has been held captive in Pennsylvania prisons for over 43 years.
San Jose, CA – On Monday, March 10, around 1500 bus and light rail operators and mechanics for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), walked off the job. The workers are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265. This is the first strike at the VTA since its founding in 1973.
Around 9 a.m. upwards of 70 ATU rank-and-file members could be seen picketing in front of the VTA headquarters as the strike began. Pickets were held at four other light rail and bus yards beginning at 4 a.m.
San Jose, CA – 30 community members gathered at the San Jose Peace and Justice center, February 22, to celebrate the release of Leonard Peltier from prison and his return home.