On March 18, 2018, Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old African American man, was shot and killed by police in the Meadowview area of Sacramento, California. Sacramento Police were pursuing Stephon for allegedly breaking car windows. This lead to police to stop him behind his Grandmother’s house before police mistook his phone as a gun, shooting him seven times.
The death of Stephon Clark has caused major protests in Sacramento and around the United States. People believe that this shows the unnecessary force that police show minorities that could sometimes prove fatal even if you’re just holding a cellphone.
“I don’t find the police as “safe”. The police are supposed to protect and serve but do they do anything for minorities except put us in jail and kill us?” said Erik Salcedo, a resident of the Meadowview area for 8 years. “What they did to Stephon was inhumane and I hope they carry that thought in their head.”
It has been almost a year since the shooting and on March 2nd, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced that there will be no criminal charges against the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark. This decision clearly didn’t go well with the people of Sacramento and has caused more large protests. The protests are so large in fact that in the days after that decision there were already over 80 arrests.
But on Friday, March 15, Stevante Clark (Brother of Stephon Clark will be hosting an event with Mariana Sousa called the Clark Family Legacy Weekend Event.
“The Clark Family Legacy Weekend event will be a way to honor and remember the legacy of Stephon and also unite and bring communities together,” said Stevante Clark when asked about what the event is about. “This event is as important to me as any national holiday. Stephon deserves a national holiday, a statue, a library, and a museum. This is my way of making sure his name doesn’t die in vain.”
This event will have workshops on how to overcome trauma and creating a personal healing plan, as well as ways to improve mental health and emotional hygiene which is the practice of of sustaining mental health in the face of emotional wear and tear. This event will take place at the Sam & Bonnie Pannell Community center which is located in the same area of Meadowview where Stephon was killed. People interested in attending this event can find more at this link.
