Shot eight times by police, Stephon Clark was a black man who was killed in his own backyard in Sacramento, California. He was unarmed. He was a father, husband, and only 22 years old. The police officers were responding to reports of a robbery upon crossing the backyard of Clark’s grandmother, Sequita Thompson. Clark’s cellphone was mistaken for a gun, or so the cops claim. The police also made the claim that Clark was running towards them in a threatening manner, but his autopsy revealed that he was not moving at the time when he was shot. His autopsy also revealed that it took three to ten minutes after being shot before he died. Source: New York Times “Stephon Clark Was Shot 8 Times Primarily in His Back, Family-Ordered Autopsy Finds”
The gun was fired a total of 20 times, six bullets hitting Clark’s back, and two in his side. The six bullets shot at his back specifically hit his lower back twice, his neck twice, armpit, and leg. Family attorney, Benjamin Crump, spoke at a news conference in which he said the Sacramento Police have been “self-serving, untrustworthy, and unreliable,” since the incident occurred, referring to the information they have been providing investigators and the public.Since Clark’s death, multiple civil rights organizations have been calling for an independent investigation. Source: Buzzfeed News “Stephon Clark Was Shot Six Times In The Back By Sacramento Police, Independent Autopsy Finds”
On March 22nd, an NBA game taking place in Sacramento was postponed because hundreds of people protested Clark’s death. A large interstate was shut down during rush hour because of crowding from the protest, and the thousands of ticket holders to the game were blocked at the Golden 1 Center. Source: Buzzfeed News “Hundreds Of Protesters Delayed An NBA Game After Sacramento Police Shot An Unarmed Black Man”
State Attorney General Becerra has since said that his department would provide “independent oversight” of the investigation into Clark’s death. Source: Buzzfeed News “Stephon Clark Was Shot”
There was also a vigil that took place for Clark, and the event was mostly peaceful except for some circumstances. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones made the claim that paid protesters were put in the vigil to make the protest seem more peaceful than it was. Tanya Faison, the founder of the Black Lives Matter Sacramento, said this was false despite Jones claiming he has proof. The only violent manner that was recorded from the protest was when protesters surrounded a police vehicle and began kicking the car and yelling at the officers inside. The cops hit one of the protesters with the SUV. Protesters then broke the back window of the SUV after it hit the woman. The name of the officer driving the vehicle was not released, but the injured protesters name was. Source: Buzzfeed News “Sheriff Says “Professional Instigators” Were At The Stephon Clark Vigil In Sacramento”
Protesters and the press have been trying to get the White House involved. The press secretary of the White House, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, claimed that President Trump considers the case to be a local matter. She claimed all regards of black men being innocently shot by police in the country to be a situation for the local police department, and that federal officials should not get involved. Hundreds of protesters filed into City Hall in Sacramento, and interrupted a city council meeting as a reaction to the disregard from the president. Source: Buzzfeed News “The White House Believes Police Shootings Of Black Men Is Not A National Issue”
This is not the only type of case like this. Eric Garner was a black man, a father of five children, who died when police choked him in 2014, in Staten Island, NY. Alton Sterling was shot several times at close range in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by white officers in 2016. Saheed Vassell was a mentally disturbed man who was shot in 2018 by police who thought his phone was a pipe being used as a weapon, instead of restraining or tasing him. Source: New York Times “Stephon Clark Was Shot”
These are just some of the many times this country has seen racial injustice that caused a fatal ending in someone’s life, and it continues to happen.