De Anza College’s First Amendment Student Press
a Voz Weekly
Volume 45 | Issue 2
www.lavozdeanza.com
October 10, 2011
STEVE JOBS
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PHOTOGRAPHER, NICK TSANG | LA VOZ WEEKLY
WHO’S PROTESTIN WHOM? Oct. 3 Preachers Kevin Farrer and J.K. from Cry To God Ministries cause an uproar of controversy on the stage in the Main Quad. David Byars retaliates against Cry to God’s inflamitory words with anger. Other students cite Bible passages of their own. See more photos of the event on page, 4.
MARTIN TOWAR NEWS EDITOR
Cry to God Ministries turned the campus stage in De Anza College’s main quad into an open air church on Oct. 3, just the latest in a line of street preaching events organized by the group. Street preaching is the act of wielding the First Amendment right of free speach to preach the gospel in public.
Cry to God Ministries is not a 501(c) church, meaning it would pay taxes were it to have a central place of worship. The ministry has demonstrated outside of San Jose Sharks games, Shoreline concerts, San Jose’s Christmas in the Park, visits from the Pope and even FanimeCon, a convention for anime lovers. “You’ve never been spanked; you need a good spanking!” said Kevin Farrer, Internet essayist on
the gospel, street protester and the founder of cry2god.com. His remarks were met with a flurry of memes from the crowd, such as “cool story bro,” a phrase meant for quelling Internet trolls. “They feed off attention,” said Lauren Ashley, a 25-year-old sculpture major. “They’ve been here before but this is the first time [I’ve seen] people yell back at them.” “We know this is controversial, that’s why we
go to colleges.” said another member of the ministry who would only be identified as J.K., “This is between classes and we already have a lot of people; wait till class is out.” Cry to God is a Northern Californi-based street protesting ministry and consists of about nine people of close relation, united in their religious devotion. The name is taken from a prayer, “A cry to God for mercy . . . ” |See GOSPEL : Page 3|
Onizuka site of new Foothill-De Anza College the comments I’ve heard on the dais I think we’re not going to have any trouble getFoothill-De Anza Community College ting it approved,” Sunnyvale Mayor Melinda District’s Board of Trustees has chosen the Hamilton said. Should the new reuse plan be former Onizuka Air Force Station in Sunnyvale approved, the district will then apply to the U.S. as the site for the new education center that will Department of Education. replace the district’s current campus in Palo “We’re very optimistic we’re going to get the Alto. The new center will focus on career tech- public benefit conveyance. The Sunnyvale City nical education and will offer classes on early Council and the Sunnyvale city officials are childhood education, pharmacy enthusiastic about the proposal,” tech, emergency medical techsaid Thor, “We also have had nician and computer education. preliminary conversations with The district hopes to acquire officials at the U.S. Department of It’s just too the land by receiving a public Education who have been helpful good to be benefit conveyance from the and appear to be interested in supfederal government which will porting the proposal.” true. effectively give the district the Thor estimates the public ben Linda Thor land for free. efit conveyance process will take “This is . . . a highly unusual approximately six months and and extremely fortunate opporsaid she hopes the district will tunity to be able to acquire 9.2 acres of land have title over the land by next spring. In the in the Silicon Valley for free,” said Chancellor meantime, the district plans on hiring an enviLinda Thor. “It’s just too good to be true.” In ronmental consulting service to ensure the site order to receive the public benefit conveyance, and future center complies with state environSunnyvale must first approve an amended reuse mental regulations. plan to include an education center. A vote on The Air Force, in compliance with the this is scheduled for Nov. 15. National Environmental Policy Act, issued a “I’m fairly confident . . . I think based on Finding of No Significant Impact for the former STAFF WRITER
base. However, the reuse plan the Air Force was center’s construction. Overall costs for conoperating under did not include an educational struction of the 55,000 square foot education center. Charles Allen, executive director of center, amenities and parking lot are estimated facilities, operations and construction manage- at $35.6 million. All construction costs will be ment said he thinks the FONSI is still valid, but paid for by money raised from Measure C, a the city of Sunnyvale is taking steps to be sure. bond measure passed in 2006. Actual construction of the center is not anticAnnual operating costs, estimated to be ipated to begin until the second half of 2013, $4.3 million, will come from the district’s genand the center is expected to begin operations eral fund provided by the state of California. by early 2015. Until the new The district currently receives $1 center is completed, classes Current build million a year from the state of will continue to be held at the ings lack heat California for running the educaMiddlefield Campus. tion center at Middlefield, most of ing, air condi Current buildings being which is used to lease the buildings tioning used at the Middlefield camfrom Palo Alto. and ven pus, which serves around 4,000 The former Onizuka Air Force talation. students, date back to the 1950s Station is located near the junction and lack heating, air condiof Highways 101 and 237. Light tioning and proper ventilation. rail and bus lines also have stops “It’s operating in a 1950s high within walking distance. Nearby school that was closed and the facilities are businesses include Juniper Networks, Yahoo definitely not state of the art and not to the and Lockheed Martin. Chancellor Thor expects standard that either the Foothill or the De Anza some of the classes offered to reflect the surcampuses are,” Thor said. rounding businesses saying, “It will be influThe district estimates it will have to spend enced by all those companies that are around it $5 million to demolish the existing structures as well as to what kinds of continuing education on the site. The money saved as a result of the or basic education needs their employees may public benefit conveyance will be spent on the have.”
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BRYCE DRUZIN
|See ONIZUKA : Page 3|
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