Sacramento Bee partners with HuffPost to host conversation about policing and transparency
The Sacramento Bee is partnering with HuffPost to host a free community discussion about policing and transparency six months after the shooting of Stephon Clark.
The event — “Listen to America: A Conversation About Policing and Community” — will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Sacramento Public Library’s central location at 828 I Street. Even though the event is free, you will need tickets. Information and tickets can be found at Eventbrite. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. It is scheduled to last 90 minutes, including an opportunity for Q&A.
»» Click here for free tickets to “A Conversation About Policing and Community”
The conversation will be moderated by Sacramento Bee editorial board member and columnist Erika D. Smith. The panelists include Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn; Assemblymember Kevin McCarty; Sacramento Office of Public Safety Accountability chief Francine Tournour and Women for Equality founder Anita Ross.
The issue of increasing transparency and accountability in policing has gained prominence in the region over the last two years following the shooting deaths of several men of color, including Joseph Mann, Clark and Darell Richards.
In response to the shooting of Mann in 2016, the Sacramento City Council adopted a policy that mandates the release of police video in officer-involved shootings within 30 days of the incident.
The Sacramento Police Department then followed that policy by releasing body camera video and infrared footage three days after the shooting death of Clark in the backyard of his grandparent’s Meadowview home in March.
Clark’s death sparked protests that shut down I-5 during rush hour, and shut fans out Golden 1 Center. Weekly protests continue outside the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office.
The Sacramento Police Department has not completed its internal affairs investigation of the Clark shooting, according to a September story in The Bee. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will both do reviews of that investigation to evaluate criminal wrongdoing by the officers.
“The protests have died down, but there’s still nothing even close to a consensus on how to build trust and bring law enforcement and Sacramento residents together,” Smith said. “We at The Bee hope this community discussion will help with that.“
Next week’s event is part of HuffPost’s “Listen to America” RV tour – a two-week journey through five Western states to talk about issues affecting communities in California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona and Colorado.
This story was originally published October 4, 2018 at 9:38 AM.