Signs of progress emerge as Sacramento protests remain tense

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The 20 shots that police fired at Stephon Clark, killing the unarmed black father of two last month, have ignited protests that shut down roads, blocked entry to an NBA game and created a seemingly ever-present tension in the streets of California’s capital.

That conflict came to a head Saturday night when a sheriff ’s cruiser struck a protester, causing the demonstration to erupt into pandemonium that threatened to boil over.

But amid the strain, signs of progress have emerged. Though the city has seen near daily protests since Clark’s death, there have been just two arrests, Police Sgt. Vance Chandler said. The Sacramento Kings have launched an education fund for Clark’s children, and Mayor Darrell Steinberg walked with Clark’s family as they left his emotional funeral last week.

Some rally organizers have expressed cautious optimism for how Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn has handled the crisis. They note that he swiftly released body-cam videos of the shooting and summoned the assistance of the state attorney general’s office to investigate it.

“I think that the mayor along with the police chief did something in California that other chiefs and mayors need to do,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, who leads the San Diego chapter of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and has been instrumental in organizing events honoring Clark.

Such has been the duality in the streets of Sacramento in the weeks since March 18, when Sacramento police said they encountered Clark while responding to a complaint about vehicle break-ins. Officers said they thought Clark had a gun when they shot him in his grandmother’s back yard, but he was holding only an iPhone.

An independent autopsy revealed that Clark was struck eight times, mostly in the back.

The moment of greatest tension came Saturday night, when a sheriff ’s cruiser struck 61-yearold Wanda Cleveland during the march commemorating Clark. The cruiser drove off, but not before protesters smashed a rear window, police said.