Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen

Jeff Rosen was first elected into office in 2010 and has been the district attorney for Santa Clara County ever since. Although Jeff Rosen has done some good while in office, his disregard for the community is disturbing. Not a single officer has been charged in cases where community members have been brutalized and even murdered by police officers.

The Black Lives Matter Movement has swept the nation and even some parts of the world. People have opened their eyes to the mistreatment of individuals at the hands of these so called “peace” officers. People are realizing what police have been doing to our communities while minorities have always felt unease whenever they see the black and blue. Even with the words “Protect and Serve” on the side of their vehicles, the less privileged have been overlooked and dismissed when it comes to this motto.

In San Jose alone, since 2015 there have been 19 people that were killed by the San Jose Police Department. Anthony Nuñez, Jennifer Vasquez, Phillip Watkins, Antonio Guzman Lopez (SJSU PD), Jacob Dominguez and Cau Bich Tran are just some of the people who have been gunned down in San Jose. There have been many “Justice for ____” campaigns here in Santa Clara County without much avail.

The most recent campaign is “Justice for Stevie”, occuring in Gilroy with the murder of Stevie Juarez. He fit the description of a suspicious character in someone’s yard, was then chased down, tased, and officers used a carotid neck hold to subdue him, which caused him to have a cardiac arrest. Sadly, this is one of many stories in Santa Clara County, naming them all and describing their stories would make this seem redundant.

Another disturbing revelation exposed a group of San Jose Police Officers who participated in racist remarks and even sinister comments of violence towards civil rights leader Shaun King. SJPD traffic cop Mark Pimentel commented about a muslim woman wearing a hijab at a protest and an LAPD officer yanking it from her head. He wrote, “Hell, I would have pulled it over her face.” If this does not show a lack of empathy, this shows a lack of accountability because these men are still employed by the city. Jared Yuen is an SJPD officer that went viral during the George Floyd protest in San Jose. His demeanor and actions towards peaceful protesters were sickening to watch. The fact that he is still on the force shows a lack of respect for the community that which it serves.

Jeff Rosen has said, “My job as district attorney is to vigorously pursue justice in a way that is fair and treats everyone with respect. This means that everyone is accountable–including me.” Well, we are holding you accountable Jeff Rosen. The fact that not a single officer has been charged demonstrates negligence on your end of the law. This is not acceptable! The community demands justice and will not stand by idly waiting for you to act.

CHANGE Santa Clara County will focus its efforts around the district attorney and holding Jeff Rosen accountable will be our first of many initiatives. We will update you soon with our direct action plan and bring awareness to further injustices that the district attorney partakes in.