Best of 2020: See the photos Sacramento Bee readers liked most on Instagram
By Nathaniel Levine
Coronavirus. Social justice. A divisive election. Wildfires. It was a challenging year for all of us, and the Bee’s photography staff was no exception.
Capturing imagery became more difficult. We, like you, faced the health risks of the pandemic and the restrictive access it has created. We faced the violence of police rubber bullets and tear gas, and threats from anti-media protesters.
These 25 staff photos taken in 2020 resonated the most with our followers on Instagram. They are ranked here by the number of “likes” they received.
The images reflect the extremes of a year that no one will ever forget — touching on some of the most significant events of the past 12 months.
Ranked in ascending order — scroll to the bottom to see No. 1:
25. Musaqoi Young, of Sacramento, and others hold up their cell phones to honor Stephon Clark during a rally with his brother Stevante Clark in front of City Hall on Monday, June 1, 2020, in Sacramento after days of heated demonstrations to protest the death of George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Young said people need to unite to fight against police in Sacramento “because they’re killing us like we don’t matter.” XAVIER MASCAREÑAS xmascarenas@sacbee.com
24. A Caltrans electronic highway sign on Highway 50 in Sacramento on Saturday, March 14, 2020, encourages people to avoid gatherings as a way to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Caltrans is using its 700 electronic signs to display public safety messages in response to California’s declared emergency for COVID-19. JASON PIERCE jpierce@sacbee.com
23. Elisabeth DeLeon of Sacramento scrubs a statue on Sunday, May 31, 2020, in front of the California State Library on Capitol Mall that was defaced with graffiti following the Saturday protest of the death of George Floyd. DANIEL KIM dkim@sacbee.com
22. Evrinpreet Kaur, 18, who was born in Punjab, India works as the first female bicycle mechanic at the Natomas Bike Shop in Sacramento on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. She said COVID educational restrictions and cultural differences didn’t stop her from learning. “All females are not into this kind of work. There are some girls who care about their hands and they don’t want to destroy their hands,” she said. RENÉE C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com
21. Sen. Kamala Harris – the Democratic vice presidential nominee – speaks with Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in front of melted playground equipment at Pine Ridge Elementary School, burned by the Creek Fire, in the eastern Fresno County community of Auberry. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA Fresno Bee file
20. Joshua Vanek cleans graffiti with his children Weston Vanek, 10, right, Holley Vanek, 11, left, and Hunter Varek, 7, center, along Q Street in Sacramento on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. “I just feel like this was the right thing to do,” said the single father from Lincoln after hearing about vandalism to the city following protests over the death of George Floyd. RENÉE C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com
19. Protester Heidi Munoz Gleisner, left, was removed from a demonstration against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home orders by California Highway Patrol officers after they ordered a crowd of people to leave the Capitol grounds Friday, May 1, 2020. DANIEL KIM dkim@sacbee.com
18. A driver in a DACA car rally honks and raises a fist in front of the state Capitol in downtown Sacramento on Thursday, June 18, 2020, to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to block the Trump administration’s plan to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DANIEL KIM dkim@sacbee.com
17. Demonstrators against police brutality and racism hold up their cell phones in a peaceful protest Tuesday, June 2, 2020, at Cesar E. Chavez Plaza in Sacramento after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police last week, sparking civil unrest across the country. The California National Guard was on hand after an 8 p.m. curfew was implemented Monday. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS xmascarenas@sacbee.com
16. Mistique Davis, of Stockton, stops after crossing the Tower Bridge in Sacramento to join other demonstrators in shouting the names of Black men and women killed by police at the Youth March 4 Black Freedom on Saturday, July 4, 2020. ALIE SKOWRONSKI askowronski@sacbee.com
15. Thousands of protesters march down Capitol Mall in Sacramento on Saturday, June 6, 2020, from Golden 1 Center to protest the killing of George Floyd. JASON PIERCE jpierce@sacbee.com
14. The Chateau Boswell winery goes up in flames as the Glass Fire burns along the Silverado Trail near St. Helena in the Napa Valley on Sunday night, Sept. 27, 2020. DANIEL KIM dkim@sacbee.com
13. Gov. Gavin Newsom tours the North Complex Fire zone in Butte County on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, near Oroville. Newsom declared a statewide emergency due to the widespread fires and extreme weather conditions, and secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster the state’s emergency response to the Northern California wildfires. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. Sacramento Bee file
12. Madison and Allison Thomson of Newcastle celebrate winning first place with a pumpkin weighing 2,089 pounds at Elk Grove’s Giant Pumpkin Festival weigh-in Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Madison said he has been growing for about 10 years, but this was his first year competing in a big grower’s competition. To help ensure social distancing requirements due to the coronavirus, about eight specimens were weighed per hour and spectators were prohibited. ALIE SKOWRONSKI askowronski@sacbee.com
11. Sandy Hampton of Sacramento and first-time voter Mira Saab, 18, celebrate at the Capitol after multiple news outlets project on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, that Joe Biden would win Pennsylvania, becoming the 46th president of the United States. JASON PIERCE jpierce@sacbee.com
10. Karina McDaniels, left, takes an emotional break at the podium with daughter Regina Gadlin, right, while speaking at a press conference about her daughter Keona Hankston at Sutter Medical Center on Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. Both hold pictures showing Hankston, 23, who died at the hospital after suffering a blood clot during an emergency cesarean section for her baby girl Melody. Hankston was diagnosed with COVID-19 after going to the hospital with a stomach ache, according to her family. RENÉE C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com
9. Volunteers help artist Demetris “BAMR” Washington paint “Black Lives Matter” on Capitol Mall on Friday evening, June 5, 2020. The project, which obtained a permit through City Councilman Steve Hansen, spanned from Sixth to Ninth streets downtown. JASON PIERCE jpierce@sacbee.com
8. Stevante Clark, left, has a heated conversation with Zach Giguiere of Loomis, who said he came out to support All Lives Matter, on Horseshoe Bar Road during a planned Black Lives Matter rally and march, organized by a group of Del Oro High School graduates, on Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Loomis. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS xmascarenas@sacbee.com
7. A Cal Fire crew takes a break on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in the grass next to Berry Creek Elementary School, which was destroyed overnight during the Bear Fire. The crews had only a brief window to rest between hourslong shifts. The blaze, part of the larger North Complex burning in Northern California, exploded in size Tuesday night and into Wednesday, forcing evacuation warnings and orders for at least 20,000 people in Butte County and reportedly inflicting widespread damage on the foothill community of Berry Creek. JASON PIERCE Sacramento Bee file
6. Workers remove a statue of John Sutter, a Swiss settler who built the first European settlement on the site of the city of Sacramento, outside Sutter hospital in midtown on Monday, June 15, 2020. Some historical accounts describe Sutter as using Native Americans as slaves. The statue was vandalized a week earlier. DANIEL KIM dkim@sacbee.com
5. Jaylen Betschart’s cousin writes a message at a memorial for him at the East Sacramento Little League fields as other family members watch on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. The 17-year-old was fatally shot Saturday while driving on Jackson Road. Betschart was an athlete at Sacramento High School and a former little league baseball player. ALIE SKOWRONSKI askowronski@sacbee.com
4. Members of the California National Guard, 184th infantry stand guard at Downtown Commons on Monday, June 1, 2020. About 500 guard troops started to arrive in Sacramento after the city and its police department made the request for additional assistance Sunday after two days of vandalism and theft after protests over the death of George Floyd. The city also instated a curfew at 8 p.m. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS xmascarenas@sacbee.com
3. A crowd of more than 2,000 people conducted a series of “die-ins” on Friday, June 5, 2020, at Greenhaven Drive near Florin Road, three blocks from Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s house. Each one lasted 8 minute, 46 seconds, the amount of time George Floyd was pinned by police in Minneapolis. Black Lives Matter Sacramento organized the event. RENÉE C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com
2. Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn and Mayor Darrell Steinberg kneel with a large group of demonstrators in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in a display of unity as another day of protests over the death of George Floyd was planned in the capital. DANIEL KIM dkim@sacbee.com
1. The words “Black Lives Matter,” seen in a drone photo Saturday, June 6, 2020, are visible on the median of Capitol Mall in Sacramento. Volunteers helped artist Demetris “BAMR” Washington paint the letters between Sixth and Ninth streets Friday. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS xmascarenas@sacbee.com
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 10:45 AM.
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