Sacramento District Attorney Is Avoiding Stephon Clarkâs Family Ahead Of Primary Election
Stephon Clarkâs family delivered a powerful call for change in Sacramento ahead of the cityâs district attorney primary seeking re-election on Tuesday.
Relatives of Clark continued to fight for justice nearly three months after the Black father-of-two, 22, was killed by police who mistook his cell phone for a gun in his grandmotherâs backyard in March. Clarkâs family members gathered with Sacramentoâs Black civil rights leaders at the state Capitol Thursday for a âGet-Out-The-Voteâ event focusing on pushing reform, the Sacramento Bee reported.
âThroughout the grief, tears and prayers, we are still seeking justice, but the answers for the death of Stephon Clark will not go unheard. With this great lossâ¦.we stand with the Clark family,â Betty Williams, Sacramento NAACP branch president, said. âBecause we stand here, we want change. Weâre asking that you understand the power of your vote.â
Conspicuously missing from the event was Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who has faced calls to criminally charge the officers involved in Clarkâs shooting. But she has a troubling history of refusing to charge police specifically when it comes to shooting Black men.
The appeal from Clarkâs family for change comes after Schubert has preached the weak defense that her office canât act until investigative findings from the Sacramento police are released. Facing public criticism, Schubert has kept a low profile and even agreed to have a chain-link fence erected around the district attorneyâs downtown Sacramento office to keep out protesters. However, she canât hide from community members and those people nationwide who want justice.
âLetâs show Ms. Schubert that you canât hide behind a fence, just like you canât hide a killing in a backyard,â Jamilia Land, a friend of Clarkâs family, said Thursday.
Schubert will face off against challenger and deputy prosecutor Noah Phillips on Tuesday. Support for the DA, who was elected in 2014, has waned in recent weeks. Sacramento City Councilman Allen Warren has pulled support, while Councilmen Larry Carr and Rick Jennings also getting cold feet, CBS Sacramento reported.
The decision of whether to re-elect Schubert may come down to her handling (or mishandling) of Clarkâs shooting death, Barry Accius, a community activist, said.
