Huge police presence, some damage as protest rolls through downtown Sacramento

For the third day in a row, the streets of downtown Sacramento were once again home to protests in the wake of the shooting of another Black man in America. This time, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by officers of the local police department, sparking familiar calls for police reform in California and across the country.

After protests on Thursday that turned destructive, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones promised a strong response from law enforcement. Speaking outside of the downtown jail earlier in the day, Jones told reporters that he had asked for National Guard personnel to quell the riots.

A large crowd gather in downtown Sacramento on Thursday afternoon for a peaceful demonstration that ended around 7 p.m. A second group arrived at 8 p.m., and about 200 people – some wearing all black clothing and carrying shields – tromped through the downtown area, smashing windows and defacing government buildings and private property. One news crew was threatened with physical violence for recording in public.

“It’s been one day and I’m already done with this,” Jones said. “We will end this. ... We have plenty of room in this building behind me,” Jones said, alluding to the jailhouse.

Sheriff Jones acknowledged the presence of the peaceful protest earlier on Thursday, but identified the second, later demonstration as the main cause of mayhem downtown. The latter, he said, was not a protest but an “attempted insurrection,” led by people equipped with body armor and riot gear.

Although National Guard personnel are not expected to be available until Saturday, Jones’ announcement drew criticism from Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

“I’m confident that we can handle our own business here,” Steinberg said. “There may be a time where it is necessary, but remember, just as with all these strategies, you have to ask the only question that matters: will it reduce the chance for great damage or injury? The National Guard can also be a provocation.”

Cal OES spokesman Brian Ferguson said the Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with the Sheriff’s Office and was arranging mutual aid officers from throughout the region to be deployed to Sacramento on Friday night.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday criticized the destructive tactics of some protesters throughout the state.

“All I can say is this: I respect and revere people who express their point of view,” Newsom said. “What I condemn is people doing it in a way that puts other people’s lives at risk or destroys other people’s livelihoods or property. That just has no place and always should be called out and condemned.”

7:30 p.m.

Protests in Sacramento were expected to begin around 8 p.m. Chatter on social media indicated demonstrators would be rallying at Cesar Chavez Plaza across the street from City Hall, a popular staging area for protesters in recent weeks.

Antifa Sacramento, a local group of left-wing activists, shared a flyer for the event on Twitter, advertising it as a demonstration of solidarity with the city of Kenosha.

Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn, speaking during an interview with KCRA Friday evening, spoke out against the previous night’s events.

“It could have been better,” Hahn told the television station. “But that was really on the people that came to our city and were bent on destruction.”

He, like Jones, condemned the damage to property and vandalism throughout the city.

“The people that come in armor, with sticks, backpack full of things, handing things out to each other, walking around spray-painting things, breaking things, they are taking away from what people are working so hard to fix in this country, and, quite frankly, I find it offensive not only as a police officer and the police chief, but as a Black man my entire life,” Hahn said. He added, however, that “no police officers got hurt, no community members got hurt, no buildings burnt down, so in that regard i think it was a — relatively, with all things considered — a good outcome.”

Meanwhile, protests were already underway in Placerville, as demonstrators allied with the Black Lives Matter movement set up in front of the El Dorado County courthouse. As has often occurred in foothills communities, counter-protesters appeared with American flags and Blue Lives Matter apparel in a show of solidarity with law enforcement.

8 p.m.

Protesters began to congregate at Cesar E. Chavez Plaza around 8 p.m. Abound a dozen people were in the park on the hour, according to California Highway Patrol radio traffic, a number that slowly continued to grow as the night wore on. By 8:30 p.m., about 100 had arrived.

As during Thursday’s protests, many were wearing all black clothing. Although many hanging out in the park were initially laid-back, talking in small groups and sitting in the grass, sparks began flying quickly. An intentionally-set fire was reported on the stage in Cesar Chavez Plaza around 8:45 p.m. — American flags were being burnt — and police radio traffic also indicated that there was a woman armed with a pipe outside of the jail a few blocks away.

Diners at La Cosecha seemed not to notice. The restaurant, located inside Cesar Chavez Plaza, continued service uninterrupted as 20 or so patrons finished their meals.

9 p.m.

The group of about 150 to 200 protesters took to the streets and began to leave the park, headed west on J Street. Officers at the Capitol were standing by, ready to face off with demonstrators.

The Sacramento Police Department said road closures were in place as the group walked through the roadway.

“Many subjects have helmets, shields, armor and weapons. Rolling road closures are in effect,” the department said via social media.

The law enforcement presence at the state Capitol and at the Main Jail were heavy. Additional officers had been called in from around the capital region in order to provide staffing for Friday’s protest.

As they passed Sixth Street, march organizers instructed the crowd to turn off their cell phones. Protesters vandalized surrounding buildings and walls as they continued to walk westward, and tossed traffic cones into the road.

The crowd was shepherded by a woman with a megaphone, often encouraging the group to stick close together and not get distracted along the march. Flares were popping off in the night, and police radio traffic indicated laser pointers were being used against officers.

Police had formed lines in order to block off entryways into DoCo property J and L streets.

Some protesters stormed the John Moss Federal Building on Seventh Street and smashed the property with improvised clubs, but damage to the reinforced glass windows appeared minimal.

9:30 p.m.

Protesters made it to their destination, stepping foot onto Capitol grounds where a massive police force awaited their arrival. All available resources were fully deployed at the Capitol in preparation for the protest.

A Sacramento Bee photographer witnessed a fight break out just across the street from the Capitol near the California State Treasurer’s Office after a small group of people attacked someone who was filming. Their condition was unknown.

The marchers didn’t stop for long, and continued heading north toward the Sacramento County Attorney General’s Office. Several groups split off and continued along different routes in the downtown area. Dumpsters were pulled into roadways as they moved to block traffic behind them.

Walking eastbound on I Street near 14th and 15th street, police radio traffic indicated that rocks were being hurled at officers stationed along the road.

Police radio traffic indicated that a motorcycle officer was hit in the eye with a rock, though a police department spokesman clarified Saturday morning that he was actually not struck, though his bike sustained minor damage.

10 p.m.

A confrontation emerged near the Memorial Auditorium when a man began brandishing a large sword. A Sacramento Bee photographer saw the man lunge out at the crowd with the sword, causing a brief panic. Amid the fracas, another man in the area was reported to have a gun, according to police radio traffic, but no shots were heard. A small contingent of marchers attempted to calm the sword-wielding man down, and he eventually dropped the blade and pulled out his phone to make a call. Police arrived and the situation was resolved.

The police department tweeted later in the night to say that a man suspected of being armed with a gun was temporarily detained. Officers discovered that he had a BB gun and he was not arrested.

Around 10:30 p.m., a group of marchers passed by Sacramento City Hall, where demonstrators insulted a line of police officers positioned there, often profanely. The officers appeared heavily armed, with riot gear and assault-style rifles in hand.

By 10:45 p.m., the bulk of marchers had returned to Cesar Chavez Plaza, where the protest appeared to be defusing. About half had already left the park by then.

This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 7:31 PM.