Wednesday, Volume 151 10.24.2018 No. 28 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY Lighting up the night Rights group establishes court website By Winona Rajamohan STAFF WRITER Silicon Valley De-Bug is a grassroots organization based in San Jose advocating for political, cultural and social issues that affect the day-to-day life of its diverse local community. Tackling local policies, immigration, the criminal justice system and racial inequality, De-Bug uses sto- rytelling and community organizing to inform and educate the public about matters they believe should take the forefront of community discussions. The organization launched a new online platform on Oct. 11, called a Day in a California Court. It was designed to further expand their storytelling by running a public diary of California court systems, contributed by organizations similar to themselves, across the state. The platform provides a real-time win- dow into the happenings in courts around states through stories and videos posted by the local community as well as data and reports collected from local courtrooms. Visitors of the site are able to select between eight different counties to see the gathered information NICHOLAS ZAMORA | SPARTAN DAILY streamlined according to courts In coordination with The Burning Man Project and the City of San Jose Offi ce of Cultural Aff airs, the HAHA art piece by Laura Kimpton with Jeff Schomberg illuminates the Hammer Theatre downtown. COURTS | Page 2 Mental health app ‘Vibes’ with students By Claire Hultin experiencee with mentmentalal STAFF WRITER illness led him to whatwhat he is doinging now – developingg an app A Stanford alumnus to help pepeopleople and entrepreneur created who may feel tthehe an app called Vibe, which same way he fefeltlt has opened up to San Jose and helpingping State University students. themm Paul Watkins began access developing his company Ayce Labs in May 2017, right after graduating WATKINS formalizedd from Stanford. Watkins care to fillill said that Ayce Labs aims the gap of to provide support for variety of topics ranging feeling heardrd people struggling with from art, social anxiety, and seen. their mental health in depression, healthy eating Accordingng to areas where access to care habits and relationships. Watkins, the app may be too stigmatized, Watkins said he is simple and easy ttoo too inaccessible or too developed the app navigate and is mainlymainly expensive. because, throughout his discussion-based.-based. Vibe is a free college experience, he had To login,gin, students andand lowlow incomeincome application found in the dealt with mental illness use their sjsu.edu emailemail students,LGBTQ, App Store for campus- and said there were times and createe a usernameusername relationships, grief aandnd specific peer support he felt alone. and password.ord. nutrition/eating. groups. The company “I realized that I am Inside the app,app, there EachEach sectionsection ooff thethe plans to implement the not the only one going are 12 differentfferent topics.topics. appapp opensopens up discussion app on different campuses through it, but I still felt These include:ude: academics, for students at SJSU to across the United States, alone in the process of gratitude, art, depression, speak openopenlyly about each beginning with SJSU. figuring out what is going people of color wellness, topic. The app is an outlet on,” Watkins said. anxiety, animals andand for students to discuss a He added that his nature, first-generationst-generation APPLICATION | Page 2 A&E Opinion Sports New “Halloween” Religion should Cross country athlete fi lm is frighteningly adapt to changing looks to break more terrible world records for SJSU Page 5 Page 3 Page 6 sjsunews.com/spartan_daily 2 WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24, 2018 NEWS COURTS on the national impacts of it,” even loopholes,” justice De-Bug director Raj Jayadev studies senior Martin Sung Continued from page 1 said. “People needed to said. “The justice system is understand it on a local level far from perfect or just, and and understand their county organizations that provide in specific locations. court system, so we wanted information on the inner “A Day in California Court this to localize the issue of bail workings of justice system appears as though it has the reform.” can be beneficial not only capability to educate those According to the Human to the people but the system who are unfamiliar with Rights Watch, this form as a whole.” the operations of California of preventive detention The site provides visitors courts,” justice studies senior disregards an individual’s with resources to actively Martin Sung said. “Ultimately, presumption of innocence engage with the De-Bug’s this equates to more educated by making them stay in cause, through the tools voters in elections who will jail for at least 30 days on of “Court Watching” and vote on propositions based on a misdemeanor and 90 days “Court Doing.” their personal understandings on a felony. The “Court Watching” rather than influences It also exerts pressure on tab on the site allows by mass media.” individuals who are unable to members of the public to A Day in California Court pay the high bail amounts and download forms that are was created in a response to are forced to plead guilty even used to collect qualitative and the SB10 bill that De-Bug has when innocent to receive a quantitative data. actively opposed since it was sentence in a timely manner The forms act as a template signed by Gov. Jerry Brown rather than waiting for trial. to guide court visitors to WINONA RAJAMOHAN | SPARTAN DAILY on Aug. 28. The final version of SB10 document court proceedings The bill initially advocated signed by Brown eliminated and gather statistics from to help somebody they know really is.” breach beyond the discussion for by De-Bug aimed for bail money bail and replaced it the events unfolding that is in pretrial detention. These actions are taken to of just the SB10 bill because it reform that would change with a new form of pre-trial in the courtroom. “De-Bug is there to talk to counter the biases that may allows for the community to how prosecutors and judges detention that incarcerates “Court watching is cool these families to help them be reflected in the profile- watch the courts, hold judges used high bail amounts as a individuals through the but its not the most we can understand what is going on, based risk system under the accountable and keep court form of preventive detention usage of profile-based risk do, we want to court-do.” we want them to tell the story new SB10 bill which would actors honest to any changes even when individuals have assessments that reflect Jayadev said. about who their loved one make it harder for courts to in the justice system, Jayadev not yet been convicted the judicial systems’ lack of The “Court Doing” tab on is,” Jayadev said. “We get that know the financial situations said. for a crime. transparency. the site provides resources and information into the district of detainees before bails are “When people think about “The website creates a tools for those who would like attorney because before that, issued. bail reform, they think about much needed transparency to reach out to their closest a public defender would have For De-Bug, its new Follow Winona on Twitter it in a macro-way, focusing to prevent foul play and Participatory Defense Hub had no idea who they’re client project holds the potential to @winonaarjmh APPLICATION Watkins shared. “We become helpful if the Vibe within its first want to break the feeling whole university takes week, Watkins hopes to Continued from page 1 of isolation and use the We want to break the feeling of isolation part in discussions and grow the app so that the app as a space where you use it as an outlet. whole campus is involved can be yourself and come and use the app as a space where you “The app could become in it, and eventually Given that it is as you are.” can be yourself and come as you are. an outlet for students branch out to schools all currently Mental Health Many students have that are struggling with around the U.S. Awareness Week at SJSU, noticed the advertisement Paul Watkins serious issues. Everyone Download links on Watkins said that students on the SAMMY app, Stanford alumnus, entrepreneur is fighting their own www.aycelabs.com can use the app to an app where all SJSU battle, especially in support one another. students can discuss college,” psychology “Students can benefit anything, where Watkins senior Kimberlee from conversation within has promoted Vibe. information posted on junior Katie McIntee said. Giggey said. the app and help each “I had never heard the SAMMY app. It looks Some students also While around 50 Follow Claire on Twitter other to feel less alone,” of the app until I saw interesting,” psychology believe that the app could people have downloaded @ClaireHult Student gun-enthusiast shoots for fi rearms safety By Vicente Vera Jump Start As the club started to grow Jump Start STAFF WRITER to more than 100 members and Miller was graduating that Gun regulation has long same semester, Ready knew YourYour FutureFuture.. been seen as a controversial his time to lead was coming. issue, but for Matt Ready, the “I’ve never been a club head president of an on-campus or leader before but Aaron organization, Students for needed me to do it, and I did Firearms Safety, guns are it.” 6DQ-RVH6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\ just a hobby. The club’s media relations The forensic science director Kylie Harrop-St.