Al Sharpton returns to Sacramento, calls for ‘justice’ six months after Clark shooting

Six months after the death of Stephon Clark, civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton returned to Sacramento on Wednesday to pressure police and city officials to complete their investigation of the shooting, and deliver what he called “justice” to the family.

At a press conference at Genesis Church in Meadowview, Sharpton stood shoulder-to-shoulder with members of Clark’s family, saying, “Justice delayed is justice denied. ... We are not going to forget about it. We are not going to let time wear us down. As long as it takes we are going to stand with this family.”

Sharpton, who gave the eulogy at Clark’s funeral, has traveled to Sacramento three times since Clark was killed in March. He said he would keep coming back until “justice” was delivered and the case was closed.

Stevante Clark, Clark’s brother, said the last six months “has been nothing but hell for the Clark family.”

“No one has been held accountable since the shooting,” he said. “I mean no one, no one, no one has been held accountable. So we’re holding everybody accountable, the local law enforcement, city officials, community leaders, community organizers. Everyone will be held accountable.”

Tuesday marked six months since Clark, who was unarmed and holding a cellphone, was shot in the backyard of his grandmother’s Meadowview home while fleeing from two Sacramento police officers. Sgt. Vance Chandler, spokesman for the Police Department, told The Bee last week that the department has not completed their internal affairs investigation of the shooting and that they did not have a timeline for when it would conclude. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra plan their own reviews of that investigation to evaluate criminal wrongdoing by the officers.

Protesters took to the streets Tuesday to protest what they said was a lack of progress in the case. As many as 200 Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered in front of the Sacramento Convention Center while hundreds of law enforcement officers were inside for the CopsWest Training and Expo. Black Lives Matter protesters confronted pro-police demonstrators who had gathered at the Convention Center following the Monday shootout that killed 27-year-old Deputy Mark Stasyuk and wounded his partner, Julie Robertson, 28.

The protest resulted in no arrests even though Sacramento police declared it an “unlawful assembly” and ordered the protesters to disperse multiple times.

Protesters moved away from police on two occasions when the demonstration became tense, and marched downtown, stopping traffic on several streets.

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 6:27 PM.