Weekend to honor victims of violence, promote change on anniversary of Stephon Clark’s death

This weekend is the fourth annual Legacy Weekend, hosted by the I Am SAC Foundation, created in remembrance of Stephon Clark and other victims of police brutality.

The weekend includes a string of events that kicked off Friday with a Justice and Accountability March at the state Capitol. The event, which features multiple speakers including the Rev. Al Sharpton, continued the Clark family’s call for stronger federal and state legislation to stop violence against Black people and other minorities at the hands of officers.

Stephon Clark was shot by Sacramento police officers at his grandmother’s house on March 18, 2018. The officers had confronted and fired on Clark in the Meadowview backyard believing he was holding a gun. It was a cellphone.

The Clark shooting and its aftermath prompted legislative changes involving police use-of-force.

Assembly Bill 392, known as the California Act to Save Lives and also nicknamed “Stephon Clark’s Law,” became law in August 2019.

AB 392 restricts lethal force by California law enforcement officers to circumstances in which it is “necessary in defense of human life.” Previous standards permitted deadly force if cops’ actions were considered “reasonable.”

Stevante Clark, cheering and holding up a framed photo of his brother, stood next to Gov. Gavin Newsom as he signed AB 392 into law.

“This is the Stephon Clark law,” Stevante said after the signing. “This is about his legacy. This is about legislative change.”

Sacramento Police Department changes policies

The Sacramento Police Department also changed some of its internal policies.

First, in April 2018, the department ordered officers to keep their body cameras and microphones on during enforcement activit. They may turn them off in the course of certain “sensitive circumstances,” the new rules said, but must say on camera why they are doing so.

Video released by the department weeks after the Clark shooting showed that the officers involved after shooting muted their microphones.

Then, in July 2018, a new policy discouraged foot pursuits that were considered risky and could lead to dangerous outcomes.

The policy also required officers to activate their body cameras upon initiating a chase, and required officers to identify themselves as law enforcement and order the suspect to stop — an action Clark’s family said the two officers in the 2018 shooting failed to do.

Daniel Hahn, the former police chief, said at the time that the foot pursuit policy was the direct result of the Clark shooting.

In the years since the killing, Stevante Clark is not only fighting on behalf of Stephon, he’s expanded his mission for further legislative change.

“It changed my life because now I’m fighting for families. I’m in the movement now,” said Clark.

Weekend honoring legacy

The Legacy Weekend began on the steps of the Capitol in downtown Sacramento with the National Justice and Accountability campaign — which is committed to building a safe space for families to continue the conversation and sharing their stories.

On Saturday, Clark’s family will celebrate the one-year anniversary of Stephon’s House, a multifaceted resource and community space located at 5940 Rosebud Lane in Old Foothill Farms.

There will be food, music, and a mix and mingle from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Later that evening, a candlelight and reflections gathering will take place at 6 p.m. at Improv Alley, between 7th and 8th streets in downtown Sacramento.

Sunday is Ye-Yo’s Brunch for mothers who have experienced the loss of a child, at Queen Sheba’s, 1704 Broadway in Land Park.

The weekend concludes with a Strategic Justice Panel, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, featuring key speakers in a conversation about actionable change.

‘Bringing their families together’

In his calling for policy change, Stevante Clark said, it’s for the families who have been traumatized, not only losing loved ones to police conduct but also “community violence and hate in general.”

“(We’re) bringing their families together to create a network of justice families so that way we can come together in solidarity and fight for this policy and legislative change,” he said.

Samuel Kinsey, outreach coordinator for I Am SAC — SAC is Stephon Alonzo Clark’s initials — said the intention is to reflect and positively commemorate the lives of those lost due to police brutality, community violence, and other forms of violence.

“The movement will not only bring more awareness toward the lives that have been lost due to police brutality and community violence, but it will also become a prime example of how community engagement and interaction should be conducted,” Kinsey said.

This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 3:04 PM.