Creating a Space for and by the People

La Plaza del Pueblo: Creating a Space for and by the People

BY Sarah "Charis" Morales

Save La Pulga, Save MACSA, Save Mural de la Raza, Save People’s Park, Free our Families from ICE Detention, Free our Homies, Free Palestine. 

Why do we always have to save our communities, spaces, and culture? Why are we always freeing our loved ones and occupied Indigenous land? Why do we have to constantly save and free ourselves? 

It is clear that in the fight against gentrification, state violence, and colonization, we have always come together to save, free, and protect ourselves—our dignity. 

During a time when the City of San Jose is focused on sterilizing, sweeping, and “cleaning” our streets to appease the money coming in for the SuperBowl and the World Cup, our beloved community spaces from La Pulga to MACSA to Mural de la Raza are neglected, painted over, and even burned to the ground. All our public, third spaces that have meant something to us are being destroyed. This isn’t a new story; it’s one we’ve heard throughout history from marginalized communities in San Jo. However, it’s also a story of resistance, where, generation after generation, we fight for what our communities are worthy of. Oftentimes, our pleas are ignored and silenced. There is no more time to beg for acknowledgment; it’s time we enact the change ourselves. Our dignity as East Side depends on it. 

Our communities yearn for a place to socialize, to meet, to organize - para convivir. I see it every day in the shopping center off Story and White, where the Cardenas, La Michoacana, DD’s, and Dawn’s Donuts are. People come to eat, shop, and do their laundry, but there’s nowhere to sit outside, talk, relax, or meet their neighbors. The parking lot is always partially empty, and it’s a space we can utilize to bring our neighborhood together. To enjoy walkable streets and go to free community events, we have to go to Evergreen Village Square, Willow Glen, and Cesar Chavez Plaza. These are the kinds of spaces and events we need here on the East Side. It’s time we create our third space here, just the way the barrio of Logan Heights in San Diego built Chicano Park. We can build La Plaza del Pueblo, the People’s Plaza. 

Imagina una placita donde puedas caminar, donde tus abuelos puedan tomar su café, donde tus hermanos puedan tocar sus corridos, donde puedas ver tu cultura en el arte, el espacio y las personas. Doesn’t the East Side deserve a beautiful, dignified space like that? We can make it happen so that La Plaza del Pueblo is for the people and by the people. 

Only East Side can make La Plaza del Pueblo a reality that reflects our neighborhood, roots, and our dignity. If you’re down to help us make it happen —whether that means building benches, planting trees, creating art, or donating cash, time, or energy—find us on IG/FB @plazadelpueblo.