![Sheriff's Vehicle hits woman at Stephon Clark protest. [image source: pinterest]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/4/1/660x290/b_502x220x82/monstasquadd-sheriffs-vehicle-hits-woman-at-stephon-clark-protest-pinterestnz_1916163.jpg "Sheriff's Vehicle hits woman at Stephon Clark protest. [image source: pinterest]")
Since the police shooting death of Sacramento man Stephon Clark on March 18th, protestors, including Black Lives Matter, have taken to the streets. Stephon Clark sustained eight gunshot wounds to the back, a private autopsy ordered by the family found. Now, protesters in the area demand justice for the father of two, who was gunned down in his grandmother’s backyard.
Who was Stephon Clark?
Clark was a 22-year-old father who was engaged to the mother of his two children, Salena Manni. By all accounts, he was a doting father, and photos of him with his young boys document their time together.
According to some news outlets, he was a stay at home dad, and his brother Stevante says Stephon was turning his life around after past arrests.
Clark’s grandmother, Sequita Thompson, was home at the time police shot and killed her grandson. She confirmed that all Stephon had in his hands at the time of his murder was an iPhone. The police who killed him, however, say that it looked like he had a gun.
Protest activity in Sacramento
Black Lives Matter activists have arranged two protests at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento since Clark’s passing. The first time, live news reports criticized the protestors for blocking fans from watching the Kings play, worrying over how Kings fans would be reimbursed for their wasted tickets.
Protestors kept many people from entering the facility. But the game eventually started, somewhat late, with a few thousand spectators inside. Still, Black Lives Matter appeared at the center again the same week, as the Sacramento Kings prepared to play against the Dallas Mavericks. They first made an appearance at a Sacramento City Council meeting and later blocked the doors of Golden 1 Center.
According to news reports, the impromptu protest stemmed from participants being unable to get into the City Council chambers. The overflow resulted in many activists heading over to the Kings game to find a larger platform, as many felt they weren’t being heard at the council meeting.
Injured protestor a mainstay at City Hall
The media identified the injured woman as Wanda Cleveland, a 61-year-old woman who reportedly said of the incident, “It was a hit-and-run. If I did that I’d be charged.” Videos on social media show law enforcement vehicles moving slowly through the crowds, but one vehicle appears to speed up as it follows in the line.
Protestors rushed to the fallen woman as the vehicle passed, and Cleveland was later taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
One newspaper stated that Wanda Cleveland often attended City Council meetings, and in a photo that accompanied the report of the incident, she wears a shirt that appears to read “Build. Black.”
The shirt touts the support of the Kings for the protests against police brutality with the "Build. Black. Coalition." An education fund from the Sacramento Kings will also memorialize Stephon Clark and aims at helping the community invest in the city’s black youth.
