![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Panelists informed and encouraged San Jose residents to vote yes on California Proposition 6 and no on Proposition 36 at a Silicon Valley De-Bug-hosted community forum aiming to spread awareness about criminal justice on Oct. 2.
If passed, Proposition 6 would eliminate a provision in the Constitution of California that allows for the involuntary servitude of incarcerated people. Proposition 36 would increase sentences for certain theft and drug crimes by changing punishments from misdemeanors to felonies.
Ujima Adult and Family Services Executive Director Yvonne Maxwell, Housing Advocate Sandy Perry, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice Policy and Legal Services Manager J Vasquez, SV De-Bug Participatory Defense Network Coordinator Cecilia Chavez and Organizer Raymond Goinsl shared arguments. They discussed why they believed restorative policies instead of punitive ones would help decrease crime, reduce prison populations and improve the lives of people in jail.
“Forced prison labor undermines rehabilitation,” Vasquez said. “The evidence is clear when the work you do is not really a choice. If you just want to take a substance use management class or you want to take an impact class, you can have 10 or 15 years longer in prison. With Proposition 6, we want to provide public safety, greater access to education and free rehabilitation for people.”
Panelists highlighted the dangers of misinformation surrounding Proposition 36 prevalent in social media and news outlets. They held a Q&A session afterwards about the propositions and other social issues including prison conditions, housing and income inequality.
“There’s been a lot of propaganda over the past few years,” attendee Jose Valle said. “If you look at our prison population and crime rate, it’s at an all time low. Violence has gone down, but what we have is a political agenda of folks that feel like they have lost control in law enforcement and incarceration. We’re not really looking at the real situations, we’re just reacting, so voting no on Prop 36 is a good step towards facing that challenge.”
Silicon Valley De-Bug provided flyers, merchandise and yard signs for attendees to distribute and campaign with. Aside from hosting events, Silicon Valley De-Bug advocates for those in need and organizes events to advocate for criminal justice reform, economic justice and immigrant rights.
“We support anybody who walks through the door who has a case,” Chavez said. “A lot of the time, there’s all these intersectionalities between people’s lives. We meet families at the lowest point of their lives, and we support anybody who wants support. We’re trying to prevent further criminalization of targeted communities.”
