Rallies seek justice for black man shot by police
Hundreds gather peacefully in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Hundreds gathered for two rallies Saturday to demand justice for Stephon Clark, a 22year-old unarmed black man who was killed by two Sacramento police officers.
The peaceful gatherings come on the heels of the release of an independent autopsy that found officers shot Clark eight times, most of the bullets hitting him in the back.
Flanked by two large posters showing Clark and Joseph Mann, who was killed by Sacramento officers in 2016, retired Sacramento Kings basketball player Matt Barnes led one of the rallies at a downtown park.
Barnes has been supportive of the family and also attended Clark’s funeral, which attracted hundreds, including civil right activist Al Sharpton, on Thursday. In front of the crowd Saturday, Barnes called for change.
“They killed Stephon Clark. They continue to kill us,” he told the crowd, offering solutions, such as officers spending more time in the communities they patrol.
Peaceful rallies throughout the week have disrupted traffic, blocked access to NBA basketball games and disrupted a local city council meeting since Clark was shot and killed in his grandmother’s backyard on March 18.
An already planned rally set for Saturday to commemorate farm labor leader Cesar Chavez Day was modified with a focus on Clark’s death, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Dozens marched through downtown streets with flags, banners and large signs, chanting “viva Cesar Chavez, viva Stephon Clark.”
Protesters say while they marched for the rights of immigrants and workers, they needed to address the issues between police and minorities.
“We’re living in very tense times,” Desiree Bates Rojas told The Sacramento Bee. “We cannot forget about Stephon Clark. We cannot forget about the attack on our communities.”
Later Saturday, hundreds gathered at the rally organized by Barnes, who grew up in Sacramento and is a father of two. He told the crowd he feels connected to what happened.
He said he watched with his sons as Clark’s shooting was broadcast on the news. After seeing Clark was unarmed and only had a cellphone, one of his sons remarked, “so cops are bad.” The comment struck him because Barnes said he didn’t know how to reply.
He said he hopes Saturday will help “hold these people accountable, to bring the community together, and address the black on black crime issue in not only this neighborhood but in neighborhoods across the country.”
Chants of “no justice, no peace” and “Stephon Clark” started off the rally as the Rev. Shane Harris, president of the San Diego chapter of Sharpton’s civil rights organization National Action Network, took the stage.