Violent activist attack on Sacramento mayor’s home was an act of political terrorism

Violence is always the wrong response to political grievances in a democratic society. This is true whether it’s committed by right-wing groups storming the United States Capitol or by left-wing activists attacking the home of Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

On Saturday night, a group of approximately 40 people stormed Mayor Steinberg’s front porch in the Pocket neighborhood, causing substantial damage. Their scary attack was accompanied by chants accusing the mayor of failing to do enough to help the homeless.

“Rocks hurled by protesters dented Steinberg’s front door and garage door,” wrote The Sacramento Bee’s Vincent Moleski. “Outdoor lighting in front of the house was ripped out and a large piece of decorative artwork was destroyed.”

Mayoral spokesperson Mary Lynne Vellinga said the vandals caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to the mayor’s home.

Unsurprisingly, the unhinged group also has its facts wrong. Steinberg has done more than any other mayor to address homelessness, pushing for both temporary and long-term solutions to get people indoors. Homelessness had already become a crisis before his election as mayor, but he has stepped up to provide leadership and resources as Sacramento County has largely abdicated its responsibility to tackle the issue.

While it’s true that Sacramento has not solved homelessness overnight, Steinberg is a strange choice of target for those who claim to want their leaders to pay attention to homelessness.

But facts don’t matter to people who view terror and violence as legitimate tools to influence politics. By resorting to violent tactics, these vandals have discredited themselves and their alleged cause. This debate is no longer about homelessness or whether to recall a popular mayor from office. The question is what the Sacramento Police Department plans to do about this violent group in our community.

Last summer, a small group of extremist thugs infiltrated Black Lives Matter protests and engaged in a campaign of violent destruction against local businesses that didn’t end until Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed the California National Guard. After an attack on City Hall and the Sacramento County Main Jail in July, The Bee reported that “a recently formed anonymous group of protesters, known variously as Sac Activists or Sactivists, appeared to be present in the splinter group, posting video from the jail and elsewhere in the downtown area to social media, but said that a few unaffiliated individuals were responsible for the vandalism.”

On Sunday morning, a Twitter account belonging to the Sactivists group posted photos of the attack on Steinberg’s house, clearly reveling in the destruction.

“Knock knock steinberg,” wrote the Sactivists account, though the group later denied involvement.

While it’s not yet clear which individuals participated in the effort to terrorize Steinberg and his family, let’s hope Sacramento police have a better idea of their identities. Local and federal law enforcement officials must take this violence seriously and take any action necessary to prevent this group from pursuing even bolder acts of destruction and intimidation.

Every member of the Sacramento City Council must condemn this violence. The same goes for housing activist groups whose cause has been claimed by violent vandals.

Shockingly, the group pushing the recall effort against Steinberg has refused to condemn the violence and, in a statement, depicted the attack on Steinberg’s house as justifiable.

“While not condoning whatever acts of vandalism may have been perpetrated by persons in the protest, neither will we condemn the protest nor what may have been property damage,” said the California Homeless Union, adding that “a rock thrown in anger against Mayor Steinberg’s door ... pales in comparison” to the situation faced by the homeless.

And with that, the California Homeless Union signed away its credibility.

The recall effort will fail because Steinberg is a popular mayor who has made homelessness a priority. His left-wing critics resort to violence because they can’t win elections. Violence against the mayor, his family or his home is violence against democracy. We must treat it as such.

This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 8:38 AM.