Families March to Save Their Sons from Racist Gang Enhancement Laws

Gotta Have F.A.I.T.H.
Families March to Save Their Sons from Racist Gang Enhancement Laws
Story By Raj Jayadev //Photo Essay by Elizabeth Gonzalez

When Rebecca Rivera wanted to start the march in front of the courthouse in San Jose, she asked the guy holding the old school boom box to cue the music. He hit play, the song said “Vamanos,” and we did. Rivera picked the song, Heaven, by Los Lonely Boys, because of a specific lyric that she says is the basis of her movement, “Save me from this life of prison.” It is a prayer for her son, Joshua Herrera, who is facing the possibility of a life-time sentence due to being labeled a gang member by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office. Rivera wanted to play the song so that line would blare out the speakers as the march went by the county jail, where Joshua watched from the sixth floor.


Joshua Herrera was recently tried and convicted of home invasion robbery. Although he never got out of the car, he was convicted as if he entered the home. On top of that, it was found to be a gang crime, which will add a life sentence. Joshua has no criminal history, was enrolled in the fire fighting academy at Mission College, and is not a gang member. That is why on October 21, 2006, Rivera, along with roughly 80 other people, marched from the courthouse to City Hall. The group has formed in a new community organization called Families Against Injustice to Humanity (F.A.I.T.H.) that will continue on beyond the march. They are planning an e-blast to politicians as their next step.


The marchers, mainly other families who have a son, brother, nephew, who has been unfairly incarcerated or labeled a gang member, chanted their demands as they walked – "Education Not Incarceration," "Where We Live Do Not Make Us Gang Members," "Stop the Stereotyping." At the root of their anger was the District Attorney's extremely wide-spread identification of young men of color as gang affiliated and use of the Gang Enhancement Laws, which allow prosecutors to extend sentences for years on end.


After winding through the streets of downtown San Jose, the energetic crowd ended with speeches at the City Hall. Many stood on the decorative boulders facing Santa Clara streets with their signs in hand, getting passer-bys to honk their horns. It was the first time since its' opening that City Hall looked good. (For pictures go to -- http://www.siliconvalleydebug.com/story/100106/stories/gottafaith.html)