Sacramento shooting reflections + Homeless ballot measure initiative + Sheriff hopefuls
.JPG "Sergio Harriss sister Eiexux Harris and niece Calista Smith light candles at a memorial in Sacramento, Monday, April 4, 2022, for Sergio, who was killed during Sunday mornings mass shooting at 10th and K Streets. The mass shooting left six people dead and 12 injured.")
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It was a grueling and difficult week for Sacramento. It began last Sunday morning when the worst mass shooting in city history killed six people and injured 12. More than 100 shell casings were found at the crime scene on 10th and K streets. Police believe there were at least five shooters, and some may have ties to area gangs.
I am so proud of all of my colleagues for their thoughtful, thorough work surrounding this national news in our own city. For the editorial board, much of our coverage last week was focused on the shooting and its aftermath. But we also had another solemn duty on the books for this week: conducting our first batch of endorsement interviews for the upcoming primary.
The highlight was the board’s live debate for the open Sacramento County Sheriff seat, with Elk Grove Assemblyman Jim Cooper facing off against Sacramento County undersheriff Jim Barnes. You can check out the video of that event here.
Sacramento In The Spotlight
The Bee’s opinion team wrote a bevy of columns, editorials and more on the senseless tragedy of last week’s mass shooting. Yousef Baig noted the distrust communities of color have for Sacramento police, but those very same communities were now being asked to come forward and help apprehend the suspects. I wrote a column about an odd, public remark by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg that seemed to admit Sacramento’s streets were not safe enough for young people who want to enjoy downtown after hours.
As a team, the editorial board came together for two stirring editorials on gun reform; the first on Sunday afternoon that declaimed the real problem — the guns still on our streets — and the second that defended California’s increasingly strict gun laws.
In particular, I want to highlight cartoonist and columnist Jack Ohman’s heartfelt piece from a visit to the scene of the shooting, and the respect owed to those who died that night. From that column: “On Sharif’s floor were the odd pieces of glass, still unswept. A block away, young politicos in blue suits discussed their lobbying steps away from the Capitol. Life goes on at California’s government complex, just steps away from where six were killed and 12 were wounded.”
Conway Or The Highway
As if a mass shooting wasn’t enough to try and make sense of, the Sacramento City Council blindsided their constituents with just 24 hours’ notice of a special meeting to vote on the “Emergency Shelter and Enforcement Act of 2022” — a ballot initiative that would fundamentally change how Sacramento provides shelter, enforces camping laws and responds to homelessness.
Yousef Baig tore into this incredibly complex issue with coverage both before and after the meeting. From his column after:
“Daniel Conway, who was chief of staff for former Mayor Kevin Johnson, is the frontman for the campaign. By weaponizing an alternate petition quickly gaining signatures, Conway used a financially impossible proposal to bypass Sacramento’s elected leaders and negotiated a compromise with the unelected city manager, Howard Chan.”
Opinion of the Week
“Nothing about this process was for the betterment of everyone in Sacramento. The city’s businesses decided a cleaner downtown is more important than providing housing or shelter to people who need it, and serious people in this town were foolish enough to go along with it.” — Yousef Baig, wrapping up his column on the “Extortion. Blackmail … Shakedown” that occurred Wednesday night in the (virtual) City Council chambers.
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Ending with a chirpy goodbye this week doesn’t feel appropriate, so I’d like to simply say thank you for reading, and that I hope that you were able to hold your loved ones close this week, and for many, many weeks to come.
Sincerely,
This story was originally published April 10, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
