Nearly 30 protesters marched through San Jose State President Mary Papazian's neighborhood on Sunday to object to SJSU's treatment and response to the death of Gregory Johnson Jr.
Johnson was a 20-year-old SJSU student who was found dead in the basement of the Sigma Chi fraternity house in 2008.
The University Police Department and Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office ruled the case a suicide, according to the coroner’s office autopsy report. However 13 years later, the Johnson family and many community supporters believe Johnson’s death was a hate crime and have called on reopening the investigation.
San Jose activist groups Human Empowerment Radical Optimism (H.E.R.O.) Tent and Black Liberation and Collective Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.) Outreach partnered with the Johnson family for the rally in an effort to reprimand Papazian for her absence at a Feb. 24 Associated Students Board of Directors meeting.
The event began at 4 p.m. at San Jose’s Municipal Rose Garden where supporters, advocates and the Johnson family held a barbecue before marching toward Papazian’s residence at 7 p.m.
Protesters were met by more than 20 San Jose police officers who stood with batons and shields outside Papazian’s home on University Way and didn’t allow protesters within 300 feet of the residence.
Lines were drawn around the perimeter of the area and police said anyone who attempted to cross the boundary was subject to arrest.
Lou Dimes, president of B.L.A.C.K. Outreach, voiced his frustration as he told officers there was no indication that B.L.A.C.K. Outreach or the organization Justice for Gregory Johnson were targeting a specific home on social media.
An officer told Dimes that protesting is an American right, but there is a law in the City of San Jose about targeting a specific residential area.
“We know that you’ve been watching [social media] but we never targeted her house,” Dimes said toward the police with a megaphone. “We’re protesting her, the university and Sigma Chi. How can you prove any intent to target her house?”
Papazian absence upsets supporters
Papazian was scheduled to attend a Feb. 24 A.S. meeting on Zoom as the first agenda item. Community members expected her to address the case, which was scheduled later in the agenda.
Many attended the meeting in hopes to hear Papazian speak on the matter, but she was absent, upsetting many students and others in the community.
Kenneth Mashinchi, SJSU senior director of strategic communications and media relations, said in a Monday email that organizers and attendees of the march misstated facts regarding Papazian’s attendance at the Feb. 24 A.S. meeting.
According to Mashinchi, the misstated facts include that Papazian purposely avoided attending the meeting.
Mashinchi said Papazian was there to give a state of the university address, which she does with students every year and because of an error, was not provided the correct link or agenda. He said Papazian wasn’t informed Johnson’s case was an agenda item up for discussion.
Mashinchi said Papazian has requested the opportunity to attend another meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.
Ilseh Busarelo, a Chicana and Chicano studies senior and protester, said it was painful to be an SJSU senior and only recently find out about Johnson’s death.
Busarelo said students and community members marched to Papazian’s home because she continuously “avoided the conversation” surrounding his case.
“We need to apply pressure to Papazian, she keeps avoiding it,” Busarelo said. “She doesn’t want to have the conversation even though the family has been pleading her to admit that it was a murder [and a] hate crime.”
The crowd of protesters called for Papazian to come out of her home and speak with them, but Papazian didn’t make an appearance.
Many protesters made efforts to stop and explain the intent of the demonstration to Papazian’s neighbors.
Denise Johnson, Johnson’s mother, said she would like to see Papazian “do the right thing” and take a larger initiative in reopening the case so her family can receive answers.
“I’d like to see my son’s case reopened and have it go back to court like it should be, because it was a kangaroo court, there was no justice about it,” Denise Johnson said, referencing a mock court.
Mashinchi said the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the county coroner’s office will undertake a new review of the autopsy report.
In a Feb. 18 campuswide email, Papazian stated the review will take place after the coronavirus pandemic eases.
“SJSU has been informed that the final analysis will be discussed directly with Gregory Johnson, Jr.’s mother,” Mashinchi stated. “SJSU will cooperate fully, if requested, with both offices in their review.”
In regards to SJSU’s immediate response to Johnson’s death, Denise Johnson said she’s still disappointed and outraged at SJSU, especially because she was not notified until hours after her son died.
“The school should always call the parents when a child dies on a campus,” Denise Johnson said. “Nobody called me, they sent the police to my house and one of them stood there with his hand on his gun while I fell out on the floor.”
University addresses systemic racism
Sydney Calinisan, a graphic design senior and protester, said Papazian’s recent campuswide email addressing systemic racism was not enough initiative.
Papazian stated in an April 5 email that the university is looking to implement changes to mitigate systemic racism. This includes efforts to increase diversity and inclusion training for staff and students, the expansion of the Black Scholars and Black and Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) residential hall themes and the renaming of the African-American/Black Student Success Center, which is now the Black Leadership Opportunity Center.
“[The email is] not even the bare minimum, it's not even crumbs at this point, it’s nothing,” Calinisan said. “[Papazian’s] words are just so empty and I feel like this problem is just a small glimpse of what this world fuels.”
Calinisan also said Papazian’s email responses regarding the BIPOC and the Black communities are “degrading.”
During a March 24 A.S. meeting, board of directors passed the “Gregory Johnson Junior: Addressing Anti-Blackness and Systemic Racism at SJSU” resolution, which asked the university to acknowledge systemic racism as a factor in Johnson’s death.
The resolution also demands more resources and the creation of a scholarship fund in Johnson’s name for Black students.
However, Denise Johnson said she didn’t want the directors to make a scholarship in his name.
“What are they going to make a scholarship for?” Denise Johnson said. “For a student that was murdered and lied about? What kind of scholarship is that?”
The crowd left the neighborhood around 8:15 p.m. and returned to the San Jose Rose Garden chanting “say his name: Gregory Johnson.”
