A Better San Jose Peaceful Rally

397 Keyes Street,San Jose CA 95112

24 October, 2021

Description

A Better San Jose Peaceful Rally to address the homeless, a lack of art, criminal justice reform, and the removal of Sheriff Smith. On Sunday, October 24th, 2021, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Keyes St. and 9th St. by the Incarceration Nation Billboard near the California Car Wash, A Better San Jose will be holding a peaceful rally to address San Jose's homelessness, a lack of art in San Jose, criminal justice reform, and the removal of Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith.San Jose Homeless Santa Clara County has the highest median income and the highest rate of homelessness in the nation. A childhood analysis of the homeless in San Jose found 78.7% grew up in a household with a person who had a drug or alcohol dependency; 64.6% endured psychological abuse; and 67% of respondents recalled at least one traumatic brain injury event with 58.4% citing loss of consciousness.[1] One group of concerned San Jose citizens, Feed The Block, recently built weather shelters for the homeless because the city has been slow to respond. A Better San Jose reached out to 10th District San Jose City Councilman Matt Mahan, a staunch critic of San Jose's homeless crisis, to speak at the rally, but neither he nor a spokesperson has responded to our request. San Jose Art Every five years, Americans for the Arts reports on Arts and Economic Prosperity in America. 2020 numbers for San Jose are not out yet, but in 2015, San Jose nonprofit arts and culture organizations generated 191 million in economic activity. This was a 50% increase from the 122 million reported in 2010. But COVID-19 has taken a toll on the intersection between the Arts and economic activity. One saving grace is the Serpentine Pavilion in San Jose's Third District in downtown. Reyna Lemus, who owns the 3 Hermanos Mexican Grill at SoFA Market on South First Street near where the pavilion will be located, is counting on it to buoy her business, which she said barely survived the pandemic. While large projects like the Pavilion may bring economic activity to small businesses, the city's track record is atrocious in supporting San Jose artists. According to San Jose's Office of Cultural Affairs, from 1998 to 2017, only 15% of the city's commissioned works went to San Jose artists. If you follow the money, it's even worse. Out of the 17.2 million the city spent, $715,937 reached San Jose artists, a paltry 4.15%. San Jose Fine Art and Real Estate Broker, Cupertino High, and San Jose State University grad, Anna D. Smith, who advocates for the world's most prolific prisoner artist, California prisoner Donald "C-Note" Hooker, used her own funds to put up the artist's Incarceration Nation on the billboard at Keyes St. and 9th St. in downtown. C-Note and Smith count themselves among the economic movement that view the Arts as having the ability to nurture life into economic lackluster communities. Juan Castillo of Dapper Barber Shop on Keyes and 10th would love the foot traffic and prospect of new customers. A Better San Jose reached out to 3rd District San Jose City Councilman Raul Peralez, a supporter of the Serpentine Pavilion to speak at the rally, but according to a representative, he has other obligations. We are hoping to get a representative from his office to speak on his behalf. Criminal Justice Reform San Jose's Red Ladder Theatre going inside Bay Area prisons to teach theater has been profound. Unlike any other form of art, it is the most collaborative. There are no editors like in Film or Music, whereby performers can perform on the other side of the globe from each other and be edited into the same scene or song. On one occasion, a prisoner actor requested to stay two days past his release date so that he could finish what he and fellow prisoners had been rehearsing to do for the past eight weeks. Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), provides workshops in theater, painting, dance, and other art forms to inmates in New York. It has a 5% recidivism rate as opposed to a 77% recidivism rate for those in New York prisons who were not exposed to the Performing Arts. In September of 2021, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez was appointed by Governor Newsom to the Board of State and Community Corrections. It is an agency that works to reduce recidivism in the criminal justice system. A Better San Jose reached out to Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez to speak at the rally, but neither she nor a spokesperson has responded to our request. Removal of Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith On December 15, 1998, Laurie Smith was sworn in to serve as Santa Clara County’s 28th Sheriff since the department’s inception in 1850. She has also been consistently chosen for re-election through four additional terms to serve the people of Santa Clara County. In 2017, three former jailers at the Santa Clara County Jail were convicted of the 2015 beating death of mentally ill inmate Michael Tyree. In January of 2021, inmates went on a hunger strike to protest the largest COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic. In August of 2021, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo called for the resignation of Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith. The Mayor cited extreme jail mismanagement, civil rights violations, ongoing bribery scandal, among other allegations. A Better San Jose reached out to Mayor Liccardo to speak at the rally, but neither he nor a spokesperson has responded to our request. Conclusion Come out and join A Better San Jose, friends and neighbors, who also want a better San Jose for a Sunday afternoon peaceful rally, October 24th, 1-3 pm. For more information contact: A Better San Jose [email protected] San Jose Fine Art & Real Estate Broker Anna D. Smith [email protected] www.adsmith.broker [1] Project MUSE - A Pediatric Profile of a Homeless Patient in San Jose, California https://muse.jhu.edu/article/648779 A Better San Jose consists of individuals, small businesses, and grasdroot organizations, who want to improve the quality of life for all who work, live, and frequent San Jose.