‘This isn’t a peaceful protest’: Activists stage demonstration at Mayor Steinberg’s house
A small but rowdy group of protesters staged a demonstration in front of Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s house in the Pocket neighborhood on Saturday night, voicing concerns over the city’s handling of homelessness amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Criticism of Steinberg and other city leaders on homelessness renewed after a vicious winter storm ravaged Sacramento in late January, which killed at least one and may have contributed to the deaths of several other unsheltered people. At the time, City Manager Howard Chan declined to open a warming center on the worst night of the storm despite calls from Steinberg and other members of City Council to do so.
The Saturday night protest was led by a loose confederation of left-wing activists who have been vocal critics of the city’s leadership since this summer. The group Sactivists, which denied organizing the protest, posted photos of demonstrators at Steinberg’s house and wrote on social media that the group’s aim was “demanding him (Steinberg) to quit his job, resign, go away, and stop.”
Mary Lynne Vellinga, a spokeswoman for the mayor, denounced the demonstration, citing numerous damages to Steinberg’s property and several serious threats of violence.
“This isn’t a peaceful protest,” she said. “This is terrorism ... this is not what Sacramento is about.”
Vellinga estimated several thousand dollars worth in damages. Rocks hurled by protesters dented Steinberg’s front door and garage door. Outdoor lighting in front of the house was ripped out and a large piece of decorative artwork was destroyed. She said the destruction was “indicative of a place we’ve gotten to in this country that is very dismaying.”
A helicopter whirled overhead, illuminating the dark streets as the protesters called for Steinberg’s removal from office. The group set up signs which read “homelessness is not a crime,” “services not sweeps” and “recall the mayor.”
Photos posted by Sactivists to their social media accounts show demonstrators standing in front of the door to Steinberg’s home, and one photo — taken through what appears to be a curtained window — shows the interior of the home. Another shows a bin of green waste with large tree branches dumped in front of the house’s front door.
Sgt. Sabrina Briggs, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department, said about 40 protesters in all appeared in the neighborhood, and a little more than double that amount of officers, many of whom rode bicycles, responded.
Briggs said there were reports of vandalism at the nearby intersection of Greenstar Way and Parkshore Circle, although no arrests were made. The protest didn’t last long, and most protesters had dispersed shortly after 9:15 p.m., according to police.
Saturday night’s demonstration was in stark contrast to a vigil Friday night organized by the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, which took place at City Hall. That group peacefully marched to the chambers of Sacramento County’s Board of Supervisors.
Over the summer, the city of Sacramento was ordered to comply with a county health order forbidding the clearing of homeless encampments without giving people somewhere to go during the pandemic. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge determined that Sacramento police had violated that order and were sweeping camps.
The Sacramento Homeless Union, a group of homeless advocates, recently launched a recall campaign against Steinberg in response to the handling of the winter storm.
Vellinga said that Steinberg has spent the last three nights volunteering at the city’s warming centers, along with many city staffers. There are currently two centers open at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria and the Southside Park pool house. City Council opened the former on Jan. 27 and the latter opened on Jan. 29.
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 11:35 AM.
