SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – On April 20th, three peaceful protesters were arrested after a “Hands Off Iran” vigil, which also featured signs and slogans about the genocide in Gaza, outside of a military recruiter’s office in San Jose, California. One of the arrested protesters is a member of the Party of Communists USA.
The San Jose Police Department is accusing the three activists of “misdemeanor vandalism”, all because activists put up stickers. One of the three activists, who is a female, was patted down by a male officer without warning.
This is a violation of civil liberties by the San Jose Police Department – in particular, the right to protest.
The authors of this article echo the demands of local anti-war group San Jose Against War:
1. Drop the charges against the protestors who were cited on April 20, 2024
2. Publicly apologize to the protestors who were cited and to the countless San Jose residents whose rights you have repeatedly violated
3. Immediately reinstate virtual public comments at city council meetings
4. Provide full transparency about how the following decisions were made: the tarping of seats [i.e. preventing attendance – Editors] & the excessive police presence on December 5, 2023, and the sudden barring of virtual public comments at city council meetings
5. Order a timely and unbiased third party investigation into the city’s repeated pattern of unlawful discrimination and denial of rights to its residents so that these harmful decisions and actions never happen again