Spartan Daily Vol. 159 No. 16

SJ leaders seek new approach

Councilmembers pave way for unhoused people to have voice in partnership

By Nick Zamora STAFF WRITER

San Jose City Councilmembers unanimously approved a $200,000 grant for a new public-private initiative to battle homelessness at city hall in Downtown San Jose Tuesday.

The funding is part of a two-year agreement from the statewide Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Grant Program toward Destination: Home, a public-private partnership dedicated to ending homelessness in Silicon Valley.

Destination: Home was founded in 2008 when a commission chaired by then-Mayor Chuck Reed decided more public-private partnerships were needed to advance impactful strategies in the community, according to its website.

The funding will cover Destination: Home’s partnership with the Santa Clara County Lived Experience Advisory Board, according to its Tuesday memorandum.

The Lived Experience Advisory Board is a leadership development body composed of members of the San Jose community with current or past experiences of homelessness, according to its website.

During the city council meeting,

“Having significant investment from our government partners is critical to ensuring that the people we serve are integrated into the decision making that impacts their lives,” Bojorquez said in an email.

Destination: Home will work in coordination with the Lived Experience Advisory Board toward addressing San Jose’s increasingly prevalent issue of houselessness and housing insecurity.

So far in September, 14 unhoused people have died in Santa Clara County and as of Friday, 167 people who were homeless died this year in which about 73% of whom were in San Jose, according to a Monday San Jose Spotlight article.

Last year, more than 250 unhoused people died in Santa Clara County, which is the highest recorded number in over a decade, according to the San Jose Spotlight article.

The county has seen a 3% increase in its homeless population since 2019, totaling 10,028 people, which is the highest number

Including the voices of those who have experienced homelessness is critical as we continue to create policy to address homelessness in our community.

Chappie Jones vice mayor

of homeless residents since 2007, according to Santa Clara County census and data.

Vice Mayor Chappie Jones said the now-funded partnership between Destination: Home and the Lived Experience Advisory Board invites those who are necessary to have at the table.

“Including the voices of those who have experienced homelessness is critical as we continue to create policy to address homelessness in our community,” Jones said in an email.

The public-private joint venture of Destination: Home and the advisory board

advance the 2020-25 Santa Clara County Community Plan to End Homelessness, which specifically states the need to “raise the voices of people with lived experience and share power with our unhoused and recently-housed neighbors.”

“Incorporating the advice and feedback of those who have experienced homelessness on the programs and services that impact them is not only a national best practice but increasingly becoming a requirement for State and federal funding,” the memorandum reads.

The item was voted in with several other motions on the consent calendar, which is deemed routine by city councilmembers and can be put forth for discussion at their discretion.

However, no public discussion is available for consent calendar items.

Updates about Destination: Home’s progress is expected to be found in the annual report of Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing, which provides financial and housing assistance, regarding ongoing houselessness programs.

Chad Bojorquez, Destination: Home chief program officer, described the advisory board as the flagship of the program’s greater effort to share power with those who have experienced homelessness.

INFOGRAPHIC BY BRYANNA BARTLETT; SOURCE: SANTA CLARA COUNTY HOMELESS CENSUS AND DATA, MONDAY SAN JOSE SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE

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Gatekeepers alienate music fans

Die-hard fans create an atmosphere of elitism in music fandoms for newcomers

By Jeremy Martin STAFF WRITER

Songs rise and fall with popularity overtime. With each resurgence, older generations of fans will do what they can to gatekeep the very bands they adore from younger audiences.

After Metallica’s 1986 smash hit “Master of Puppets” was used as part of the grand finale of the popular Netflix show “Stranger Things,” fans began to rage on the internet over its use.

Those who gatekeep are elitist, which is why people tend to avoid die-hard fans and online communities.

“Sorry for being elitist, but I can’t stand that “Stranger Things” used that one song and now everyone acts like they’re a big fan,” one fan wrote in a Twitter post.

Gatekeeping music isn’t new. Overzealous fans have been around forever but that doesn’t make the act of playing God with an artist’s discography right.

After receiving messages directly, Metallica had the perfect response toward their ever-growing community of fans.

Metallica replied to a TikTok comment from a user who was mad about the new fans, “Don’t be sorry. Everyone is welcome in the Metallica family. If they like ‘Puppets,’ chances are they’ll find plenty of other songs to get into.”

Music gatekeepers are bullies to others

discovering a new band, song or genre.

Believe me, I’ve been guilty of it as well. I’m one of the biggest Eminem fans anyone will ever meet.

I know firsthand how territorial hardcore fans feel when a new fan comes around, particularly when an individual claims to be a

Gatekeeping creates a hostile environment amongst fans and leaves people out of getting into something new.

Music gatekeepers wouldn’t like getting excluded from a community centered around their favorite TV show or movie franchise.

So why do we do it with music?

of life. It elevates us and can drive different emotions in different situations.

No matter what someone feels or is in the mood for, they can just put their desired playlist on and jam for hours. There’s generally even more of an impact when there is a sentimental attachment to the music.

The emotional attachment drives the habit and instinct of gatekeeping music, regardless, gatekeeping isn’t fair to newcoming fans.

Moreover, the act of gatekeeping doesn’t promote togetherness, nor does it promote inclusion.

Gatekeepers often use the term “fake fans,” but those fans shouldn’t really be labeled “fake,” because it’s just bullying at that point.

All fans are equal and should be free to enjoy all musicians, without exclusion.

“big fan,” but can’t back that up with any real knowledge such as knowing every song or listening to new songs as soon as they come out.

Most of the time it’s the usual, “I love this song” or “I love their music.”

It’s extremely irritating for me since I have a vast knowledge of Eminem’s discography and backstory.

I happen to have a very close emotional connection to Eminem’s music, making me very eager to always learn more about his story.

This still doesn’t make gatekeeping right.

People are compelled to defend their love for an artist.

But perhaps this really has to do with the battle we have in our own heads about the love we have for the music.

Gatekeeping isn’t about silencing music, but a mental request we all have. The article also states, People will always have the desire to keep things close to them safe.

Music allows us to escape the harsh realities

I get so caught up in being accurate with my extensive knowledge of the music that I forget how the person being kept out of the gate really feels. Hardcore fans need to build their own community up, not actively work to have it destroyed or to stunt its growth.

Open the gate and let new fans in. Be inclusive.

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Letters to the Editor must contain the author’s name, year and major. Letters become property of the Spartan Daily and may be edited for clarity, grammar, libel and length. Only letters of 300 words or less will be considered for publication.

Published opinions and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spartan Daily, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or SJSU. The Spartan Daily is a public forum.

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ILLUSTRATION BY KATIA KASOWER

Gatekeeping music isn’t new. Overzealous fans have been around forever but that doesn’t make the act of playing God with an artist’s discography right.

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Serial case reveals racist justice system

favor to give him another chance at what would hopefully be a fair trial this time.

“Serial” brought necessary recognition to the fact that our justice system is greatly prejudiced and inspired its audience to fight back against injustice.

Syed,” Woods said in an email.

Woods believes that podcasts such as “Serial” draw attention to flaws in the justice system and provide us with an opportunity to direct our attention toward mending them.

demands of the people that bring about the justice that the system by itself perhaps has fallen flat in achieving,” said Woods in a Zoom interview.

Hailey Fargo STAFF WRITER

This is the case for Adnan Syed, who was released from prison after 23 years on Sept.19. He was convicted at 17-years old and sentenced to life in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, according to a Sept. 20 New York Times article.

The podcast “Serial,” hosted by Sarah Koenig, dedicated its first season to Syed’s case and his proclaimed innocence.

“Serial” raised questions about the case’s evidence and revealed critical errors in the way the case was handled, which was unscrupulous.

The podcast, while informative, played a crucial part of why Syed was able to receive a second chance.

For instance, the podcast uncovered an alibi that could have testified to prove Syed was somewhere else at the time of the murder. “The witness, Asia McClain, said she had been willing to testify, but Mr. Syed’s lawyer, Maria Cristina Gutierrez, did not contact her…,” according to the same New York Times article.

This witness was never reached out to by the lawyers despite being a key factor that could have prevented Syed from spending 23 years of his life wrongfully imprisoned.

The podcast was able to bring immense awareness to Syed’s situation and the public opinion of courts were swayed in his

The podcast exposed facts that were essential to Syed’s case and release from prison. The jury was then able to fairly assess Syed’s charges and deem him innocent as he should have been all along.

In February 2015, a court in Maryland heard an appeal from Syed. In the following November, he was allowed a new hearing that could introduce new evidence to the case, according to the same New York Times article.

This paved the way for trials and appeals that would lead to Syed’s release from prison, a release that is 23 years too late.

Justice Studies

Senior Lecturer Greg Woods offers his insight on how media influences such trials.

“Courts of public opinion have the power to validate, motivate and facilitate action, like in the case of Adnan

I think that if it wasn’t for podcasts and other media bringing constant attention to these issues within our system then people like Syed might never have a second chance at freedom.

“Serial” provided Syed with a support system and gave people like him a voice and reason to stand up for themselves.

“What we see time and again is an inherently flawed justice system where it’s only the

We are unable to rely on justice being served in trials and it is often up to us to research and understand the truths about wrongdoings in cases such as Syed’s.

Syed’s trial was heavily influenced by racial stereotypes and bias. Mano Raju, San Francisco public defender and member of the South Asian Bar Association of North America said in an NBC News article from Sept. 22.

“It seemed like what the prosecution did is it made an intentional choice to substitute Islamophobia and racial bias for proof,” Raju said.

The court was able to use racial bias against Syed and influence public opinion to believe he was guilty of murder despite its lack of strong evidence because they knew no one would question it at the time.

The justice system abused its power in order to get away with racially profiling yet another innocent, undeserving person.

“Raju said he thought the prosecution made sure the jury saw Syed as a foreigner whose race and religion made him more disposed to

violence,” according to the same NBC article.

In Syed’s original trial, the jury voted to convict him because the court depicted him in stereotypical ways based on his race and religion and used questionable evidence against him.

I continue to see cases such as Adan’s where innocent people lose their lives and futures as a consequence of our broken, racist justice system.

The Netflix series “When They See Us” depicts a similar instance in which five boys of color, who came to be known as the Central Park Five, were wrongfully accused and convicted of attacking a white woman in Central Park in New York.

The boys were unlawfully interrogated without their parents and coerced into confessing to a crime in which they never committed, as seen in the series.

The Central Park Five have since been exonerated but not before each of them suffered between five and 11 years in prison.

It’s pathetic that we have a system which would rather imprison an innocent person or group of people whose profile they cannot look past than serve proper and fair justice.

“Serial” exemplified just how unethical our court systems can be and opened my eyes to the injustices around us.

Ultimately, Syed’s trial was clearly unfairly handled and flawed. If it wasn’t for “Serial” shedding a light on its imperfections, it is something that may have gone unnoticed forever.

BY CAROLYN BROWN

Media highlights the mistakes of our justice system by spreading awareness which can rally people together to demand justice.

Follow Hailey on Twitter @haileyfargo

ILLUSTRATION

Spartans dive into conference play

By Brandon Twomey STAFF WRITER

After finishing the preseason 6-4, the San Jose State volleyball team won its first two games of conference play, defeating San Diego State and Fresno State.

As the Spartans enter the Mountain West Conference season, head coach Trent Kersten said he wants his team to understand the main takeaways from the rights and wrongs that occurred in their preseason matches.

“Anytime you get experience in that high level of match, it’s a good thing and you always learn a little bit about yourself,” Kersten said.

Kersten also mentioned how he instructs his team to understand the lessons that

come with failure while also telling his players to fix their mistakes instead of dwelling on them.

“When you’re going through it and learning to play at that level, you’re going to fail at times,” Kersten said. “Honestly we have failed in those situations and we can own that. We can keep getting better and apply the lessons we’ve learned and hopefully keep preparing ourselves for that level of match.”

The Spartans have some experience going into conference play as they finished their first tournament of the year, the Weber State Tournament, with a record of 2-1, knocking off Southern Utah (3-1) and UC Riverside (3-1) before falling to Weber State (1-3).

SJSU continued its dominance

as they took part in the Trojan Challenge tournament hosted by USC, finishing with a record of 2-1 with victories over New Mexico State and Milwaukee, before coming up shy against USC.

Gathering takeaways from all these matches prepares SJSU for conference play, but more importantly, shows the team what they can do when they work together.

Working together is one of the most important traits that a team can have and for senior Sarah Smevog, it’s the biggest strength.

Smevog, the three-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All Mountain West honoree, said the biggest strength of the team was its passion toward the game.

UPCOMING GAME

SJSU

“One of our biggest strengths as a team is our values,” Smevog said. “Our biggest value is the love for the game and each other that reminds us that we are playing for something bigger than ourselves.”

Smevog said she thrives off coach Kersten’s critique by understanding that each game comes with a different learning experience. “We faced a lot of adversity in the preseason with difficult opponents that highlighted where we still need to improve,” Smevog said.

“I am very confident in our team moving forward into the regular season because of the intention that we train with to get better as a team.”

Smevog will be suiting up for her final season. She said playing alongside her team for the past five years has given her the passion to influence her teammates to be the best that they can be. “I hope to leave the SJSU volleyball program knowing that I made everyone around me feel loved,” Smevog said. “I hoped to have played a role in uplifting my teammates to be the best versions of themselves as athletes and as people.”

San Jose State volleyball players Amethyst Harper (left), Sarah Smevog (center) and Haylee Nelson (right) get ready for a ball coming at them at Spartan Gym on Sept. 20.

Follow Brandon on Twitter @brandon_2me

TRAVIS WYNN | SPARTAN DAILY