The Santa Clara County District Attorney\u2019s Office reported it has awarded $50,000 in \u201cBend the Arc\u201d grants to 14 community groups this year. The grant is named after Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s quote: \u201cThe moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Launched in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, alongside a series of reforms, the increasingly competitive grant program received a record 70 applications this year. Since 2021, the DA\u2019s Office has given back more than $300,000 to the community.<\/p>\n
The grants \u2013 which ranged from $2,500 to $5,000 \u2013 come from the DA\u2019s Asset Forfeiture Fund, which is money seized from gangs, drug traffickers, and criminal organizations. To help repair some of the harm caused by those criminal enterprises, the DA\u2019s Office invests the funds back into the communities that were preyed upon.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s grants represent a wide range of community organizations: Sessions to teach incarcerated youth how to get back on track, stay out of custody, and potentially clear their criminal records; a self-defense course for Asian women; a group that helps connect Latino parents with disabled children to vital services; classes to help Vietnamese seniors avoid fraud; support and services for young mothers of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic safety goes way beyond prosecutions.\u201d said District Attorney Jeff Rosen in a statement. \u201cInvestments in our most vulnerable neighbors get paid back a thousandfold with the community and law enforcement pulling together toward a better future for all.\u201d<\/p>\n