By Khalida Sarwari
San Jose State University students and community members are planning to sleep on a lawn on campus tonight in solidarity with the homeless and those who have fallen on hard economic times.
The fifth annual sleep-out, organized by the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project and the Cesar Chavez Community Action Center, will take place at the Tommie Smith and John Carlos Statue Garden at San Jose State University.
The theme of the event this year is “The Golden State in Decline.”
“It’s bringing to light some of the issues that our community faces in San Jose and in California,” said Holly Rude, a social action coordinator for the Cesar Chavez Community Action Center.
Those issues include budget cuts, the decline of the working class, and unemployment, Rude said.
According to the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, 15.3 percent of Californians live in poverty. The rate of unemployment in the state has doubled in the past two years to 12.4 percent.
The sleep-out will begin at 9 p.m. and end at 9 a.m. From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., leaders from black, Jewish, and Muslim groups will address issues their respective communities are facing.
Both events are both open to the public.