80+ arrested during protests after D.A. refuses to charge officers who killed Stephon Clark
According to ABC-10, a protest stemming from the Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert’s decision not to charge the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark resulted in the arrests of over 80 people. The Sacramento Police Department took credit for over 80 arrests on social media, with Captain Norm Leong tweeting out late Monday night, “80 plus arrests. Still processing it all.”
Ended up with 80 plus arrests. Still processing it all.
— Norm Leong (@NormLeong) March 5, 2019
The protest went on for around two and a half hours before the police ordered people to disperse. Those who remained were surrounded by officers on a freeway overpass, and at least three clergy members and a reporter for the Sacramento Bee, Dale Kaiser, who was covering the event for the publication, were among those arrested.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg issued a statement on Twitter following the slow release of those who were arrested on Tuesday morning: “I’m very disappointed that the protest ended the way it did,” Steinberg said. “I have many questions about what caused the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests. I will withhold further comment until I get answers to these crucial questions tonight or tomorrow morning. No matter the reason an order to disperse was given, no member of the press should be detained for doing their job.” The police accused protestors of keying cars, an allegation that has been disputed by people who were at the march.
Protester Sonia Lewis told ABC-10, “Everybody needs to understand that this is a city-wide issue. We no longer are going to stand by and let our city officials ignore continued crime and death and terrorism by Sacramento Police Department.”
The protest had many sympathizers, such as East Sacramento resident Paige Gorham, who told ABC-10, “I’m actually quite in favor of it. I think that they’re making very valid points that need to be heard, and I’m very much in favor of peaceful protest.” Gorham continued, “I hope that people in this community and in this neighborhood and throughout Sacramento and the nation have heard about this case and are aware of the issues involved. I hope that we’re not in an East Sac bubble. Our household certainly isn’t.”