Sacramento mayor condemns protesters who vandalized his Pocket neighborhood home
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on Monday condemned a group of left-wing protesters who threw rocks at his house in the Pocket neighborhood, destroyed a cherished homemade art piece and repeatedly shouted his children’s names in what he called an “attack” on his family and his community.
“This was not protest. This was anarchy,” Steinberg said in a written statement about the vandalism and damage to his home. “You want to challenge me, challenge me at City Hall. Challenge me in the community. Challenge me at the ballot box.”
More than 80 Sacramento Police Department officers monitored about 50 protesters who participated in the protest criticizing the city’s handling of homelessness amid the coronavirus pandemic. Officers did not make any arrests during the protest.
After the mayor’s home was vandalized, the officers moved in and dispersed “the destructive demonstration,” police officials said in a news release Monday afternoon. Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn said his department supports everyone’s First Amendment rights to free expression, but what happened at the mayor’s house was not free speech.
“It was a group of people dedicated to the destruction of a local leader’s property,” Hahn said in the news release. “The Sacramento Police Department will continue to investigate incidents such as these and identify those involved. We are committed to the safety of everyone in our community.”
Saturday’s protest was led by a loose confederation of left-wing activists who have been vocal critics of the city’s leadership since this summer.
Criticism of Steinberg and other city leaders on homelessness was renewed after a powerful winter storm pounded Sacramento with howling wind and pelting rain late last month a day after the overnight temperature dipped below freezing.
At least one person died during the storm, and the harmful weather may have contributed to several deaths of 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.
Police officials estimated the protesters caused thousands of dollars in damage, throwing rocks at Steinberg’s home, stealing security cameras and destroying lighting fixtures. The protesters also barricaded the home’s front door and gate with garbage cans and landscaping debris that had been removed from the yard, according to the department.
Steinberg said the protesters shouted his children’s names over and over outside the home Saturday night. The mayor said he doesn’t expect everyone will agree with him.
He said he understands and embraces the fact that people will passionately disagree with him, and he understood when he ran for mayor that some people could become angry with him. But Steinberg said what these protesters did Saturday was threatening.
“They involved my family. My family did not get elected. I did,” the mayor said in his written statement. “Many of these masked people are not from Sacramento. They came to harm our community.”
Police officials said Saturday’s protest started at Frank Seymour Park in south Sacramento, and most people participating were dressed in black clothing, wearing helmets and armor and some were holding shields.
The protesters then marched to the mayor’s home. Eventually, these same protesters began to vandalize the home. After police moved in to disperse the crowd, the protesters left and marched down nearby streets, according to the Police Department.
As they marched, the protesters pulled garbage cans and other items into the street, police officials said. The officers then declared the protest an “unlawful assembly,” and the protesters left the area, according to the police news release.
“This was not a protest -- it was a crime. Local officials, and their families, should not be subject to criminal acts at their personal homes (or anywhere else),” the police chief said on his Twitter account Monday afternoon. “If we can ID suspects, arrests will be made.”
There were no other reports of vandalism to any other homes. Officers documented the damage at the mayor’s house. Police officials said detectives on Monday were conducting follow-up investigations to identify those involved in criminal activity associated with the protest.
“Violence and destruction has never been and never will be acceptable. By attacking my home, you attack my community. You will be held accountable for your actions,” Steinberg said in his statement. “I am not backing down. I am more committed than ever to the city I love. I am never giving up on my life’s work to fight for the least among us. Enough.”
Investigators asked anyone with information about vandalism at the mayor’s home to call the Sacramento Police Department at 916-808-5471.
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 3:07 PM.
