WINNER OF 2023 ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS PACEMAKER AWARD, NEWSPAPER/NEWSMAGAZINE NAMED BEST CAMPUS NEWSPAPER IN CALIFORNIA FOR 2022 BY THE CALIFORNIA COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION AND CALIFORNIA NEWS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Volume 162 No. 2 SERVING SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
MELANY GUTIERREZ | SPARTAN DAILY
A group of protestors greets Vice President Kamala Harris in downtown San José’s Mexican Heritage Plaza holding signs and banners on Monday morning.
SJ protests against VP’s arrival By Melany Gutierrez MANAGING EDITOR
Demonstrators rallied around the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San José on Monday morning to protest the arrival of United States Vice President Kamala Harris, who was holding her Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour discussion inside the plaza. Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Bay Area nonprofit organization, said it is unacceptable, hypocritical and frankly criminal for Harris to come to San José and talk about women’s health without acknowledging the crisis that women, children and men are facing in Palestine involving reproductive health and essential needs. CAIR California is a civil rights advocacy group with the goal to protect civil rights, promote justice and empower MuslimAmericans, according to its website. “Calling for a ceasefire is reproductive justice,” Billoo said. "We cannot have a double standard for women's health in California versus in Palestine. So (as) long as Vice President Harris is complicit in the murder of Palestinian women, we will not listen to her speak about our home.” The Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour started with its first stop in Wisconsin on Jan. 22, on the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling, according to a statement by the White House. According to the same article, the tour is a discussion on fighting back against extreme attacks on women’s reproductive rights in the U.S. by highlighting the harm of laws on women’s bodies such as anti-abortion laws
and sharing meaningful stories to connect women together. Bridget Rochios, a midwife, nurse practitioner and abortion provider, said that the events occurring in Palestine are a massive human rights violation and public health issue. Rochios said Vice President Harris has leveraged her campaign on the restoration of reproductive rights that have been lost during the administration such as healthcare and abortion rights She said Vice President Harris, however, failed to recognize the need for the same support and voices to stand up for reproductive rights in Palestine. “As long as this administration is not calling for a ceasefire, they’re actively suppressing the healthcare rights (and) the reproductive rights of the people in Palestine and that’s not fair," Rochios said. “That’s not equity.” Rochios also created an art piece at the protest as a demonstration. The piece presented a black circle on the floor with red paper crafted into poppies around it and white letters that read, “each poppy represents 20 Palestinian lives – 30,000 killed in Palestine.” Rochios said the art piece is in remembrance of all the lives lost and an emphasis on the mothers, children and healthcare professionals struggling to help others and themselves during this troubling time in Palestine. Charlotte Casey, a protestor, said President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris need to grow a spine, acknowledge the tragedy happening in Palestine and speak out to stop the genocide. “It’s heartbreaking to see
what’s happening to the families (and) to everybody in Gaza as their homes are being destroyed and their people are being killed,” Casey said. “It is just unspeakable.” María Bracamontes, a midwife and mother, brought her children to the protest because she said she wants her children to be exposed to the truth and know about injustices such as this one. “Seeing the children and women in Palestine suffer makes me feel devastated
not a secret. He said social media users post about children dying every day which is why he can’t understand how public officials like Vice President Harris can turn their head and pretend it’s not happening. “If (change) does not happen through you it will happen through someone else,” Albalrki said. “I have no doubt of that. You (Vice President Harris) have a chance to speak up, but if your comfort is more beloved to you than the
You (Vice President Harris) have a chance to speak up, but if your comfort is more beloved to you than the lives of millions of people then I hope that you do not see mercy when mercy is given. Malik Albalrki
Protest speaker
and heartbroken,” Bracamontes said. “My children witness that sadness every single day.” Bracamontes said she will continue to educate her children about injustices and systemic genocide to teach them the responsibility of speaking up for humanity. She said some people struggle to acknowledge the injustice in Palestine because it’s not happening near them. “People feel so disconnected, but I think the more we raise awareness, we are doing what we can to make a change for our future generations,” Bracamontes said. Malik Albalrki, a speaker at the protest, said even though the genocide is not happening in front of people’s eyes here in the United States, the tragedy is
lives of millions of people then I hope that you do not see mercy when mercy is given.” Andy Schaefer, protestor and member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said protesting is important because it is one of the only ways people can have their voice heard in a political atmosphere. Freedom Road Socialist Organization is a political program and advocacy group analyzing and fighting against the oppression of minority groups, according to its website. “If we tried to just keep voting with our dollar or voting by the ballot we won’t get what we need as we see right now with the ongoing war and the ongoing genocide,” Schaefer said. “The way things have been going is not working. The planet is dying, people
are dying and things have to change.” Schaefer said he’s never had complete faith in the Biden-Harris administration and the fact that this war and genocide is going on under their watch proves their power is not being put to positive or proactive use. Bridget Rochios said she initially had confidence in Vice President Harris being in office because of her identity and believes her voice in this movement could still make an impact if she put in the effort. “VP Harris is the first female Vice President (and) first Vice President of color,” Rochios said. “She’s in an exceptional position and it's an exceptional time. It is time for her now to be brave and to call for a ceasefire.” Another protestor, Asghar Mahesri, said he also feels greatly let down by the administration. “I’m a lifetime Democrat and I always voted along party lines, but this time I’m very disappointed in the administration and some of our representatives,” Mahesri said. Noorah Amir, a protestor who did not want to use her real name due to potential safety issues, said she feels it’s her duty as a human being to show support and speak out against the injustice, genocide and human rights violations happening in Palestine. She said it is very disheartening to see the crowd of people lining up to attend Vice President Harris’s discussion conference. Amir said most people only want to attend because she's the Vice President and her life and opinion may be deemed more valuable than those of the Palestinians suffering. “I pray that on the inside they (tour attendees) at least
feel something, that they’re even a little bit human, but to me, them acting like that shows a lack of humanity,” Amir said. “It shows robots, it shows hypocrisy.” Amir said the poker face that Harris and her supporters are putting on is performative activism. Performative activism is activism that is only done to increase one’s social status or appearance rather than out of true devotion for a cause, according to a website by Boston Medical Center. Amir said that during this genocide many people have shown their true colors by only caring about activism and rights when it aligns with their paycheck and comfort. “When you’re at that point where the murder of thousands of innocent people and the displacement of millions of innocent people doesn’t make you shed a single tear or say a single word then you really need to reassess your humanity and who you are as a person,” Amir said. Amir said that ultimately seeing the passion of the people at the protest made her feel hopeful and she felt honored to be a part of it. María Bracamontes said she knows that protesting is not the only way to spread awareness or educate others but it is effective in uniting people. “It feels really good to express that anger out together and to grieve together and show solidarity,” Bracamontes said.
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