BLM Refuses to Back Down on Stephon Clark Killing

FEATURING TANIA FAISON – The police officers in Sacramento, California, who fatally shot an unarmed black man named Stephon Clark last March will not be charged. The officers who shot him say they thought he was holding a gun. It turned out Clark had been holding a cell phone. He was shot 20 times. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert made the announcement saying, “We must recognize that [police officers] are often forced to make split-second decisions. We must also recognize that they are under tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving circumstances.”

There have been major protests in and around Sacramento over the refusal to charge Clark’s killers. Last Monday a protest was held outside a Trader Joes in a wealthy neighborhood. The Sacramento Bee reported that, “The East Sacramento location was chosen because it is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the City of Sacramento and home to many influential leaders in city and state government.” Police reacted harshly and arrested 84 people. The next day at a City Hall event, activists interrupted proceedings angry over the arrests and over Clark’s killers being let off the hook.

For more information visit www.inciteaction.com.

Tanya Faison, founder of the Sacramento Chapter of Black Lives Matter.