Articles by Staff

On August 25th, 2015 immigrant rights advocates that make up the FIRE Coalition (including organizations such as SIREN, Sacred Heart, PACT, Asian Law Alliance, Justice for Palestinians, De-Bug) held a "mock marriage and break-up" between Santa Clara County and ICE. The group then marched into the County Board of Supervisors meeting, took it over, and shut it down. The action was part of the coalition's on going work to maintain the current county policy which ensures the jails will not respond to ICE's detainer or notification requests. The policy is a national model, yet is currently being threatened due to reactionary politics and opportunism. Please do reach out to any of the groups in FIRE to join the campaign to protect immigrants rights and public safety in Santa Clara County.

Santa Clara County has long been a national leader in creating a safe community for immigrants by drawing a clear line between ICE and local law enforcement and promoting meaningful immigrant integration. Now our county elected officials want to revisit the possibility of entangling ICE with local law enforcement, creating a less safe community for all. Community groups and leaders led an action today to urge the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to reject PEP COMM and not allow ICE to dictate our county's criminal justice system. (The below music video was projected on a wall in the County building as part of an action by the FIRE coalition.)

A short video snapshot of some great partners in St.Louis, Birmingham, and Philly last month when De-Bug/ACJP traveled across the country to share the participatory defense approach.

While this new national inflection point regarding police accountability has led to calls for diversifying police forces, equipping officers with body cameras, and reforming departments, it is also an opening to examine and transform the system in its totality.

A photo and audio project, chronicling the stories of the families of the Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project. Families and communities can change the outcome of cases, and transform "Time Served" into "Time Saved" through their involvement in the court process. And we have the numbers to prove it. Below are the stories that make up the years of Time Saved. As we continue to promote community engagement in the criminal court system, we will update this site with a new running total, and accompanying picture//audio pieces. See their pictures, hear their voices, and transform the courts.Click image to go to blog: www.time-saved.org

An interview with the star of the film, Sachin Mehta, who discusses the impact of his legal career on the movie, his South Asian identity, and why justice is such a compelling, yet elusive, concept in America.

The South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk is a self-guided evening tour through galleries, museums, and independent creative businesses featuring exhibitions and special performances that happens every first friday of the month in San José.

Photos of a powerful week in De-Bug's Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project (ACJP), where families fight to bring their loved homes home from jail, prison, and immigration detention. At Sunday's meeting, one family brought a son home from immigration detention after two years, on Tuesday's meeting, one family brings a son home who was facing a life sentence. To stay updated on the work, follow www.acjusticeproject.org.

Heading into Fall, De-Bug wants to acknowledge the nationally significant policy wins in criminal justice reform, police accountability, and immigration that occurred this Summer -- all of which make were first-of-its-kind victories in their respective fields.

A snapshot of the results of our survey conducted to measure the level of "trust" from the current policy which stops ICE from entering Santa Clara County's local jails. This project was conducted in coordination with the partners of the Santa Clara County Forum for Immigrants Rights and Education (SCC FIRE).