Sacramento, Calif. — A protest over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by Sacramento police ended with police arresting more than 80 demonstrators. Scores of people staged a march Monday evening in a wealthy area of the city.
It came two days after prosecutors announced they weren’t going to file charges against police who shot Stephon Clark after a chase that ended in his grandparents’ back yard last March. The officers said they thought the 22-year-old had a gun, but it turned out he was holding a cellphone.
About two-and-a-half hours into the demonstration, police ordered protesters to disperse.
CBS Sacramento reports that remaining demonstrators were later surrounded on a freeway overpass.
Police handcuffed at least three clergy members and Sacramento Bee reporter Dale Kasler, who was covering the demonstration, the newspaper reported.
Kasler’s hands were twist-tied and he was led away as other reporters shouted that he was a member of the media on assignment, the Bee said. He was standing with several protesters when he was detained, the newspaper reported. The reporter was released after he was held for an hour, the newspaper said.
Police said those arrested were being charged with unlawful assembly, among other things. Police also said at least five cars were keyed during the protest.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg tweeted he was “very disappointed that the protest ended the way it did. I have many questions about what caused the order to disperse and the subsequent arrests. I will withhold further comment until I get answers to these crucial questions tonight or tomorrow morning.”
Steinberg also took issue with the reporter’s arrest:
CBS Sacramento said The Table Sacramento, the group that organized the demonstration, said it chose East Sacramento because, quote, “This is a neighborhood that would likely never experience such a tragic and violent loss of one of its residents, so we are bringing the discomfort and pain of our trauma to their doorstep in hopes of spurring their solidarity and political engagement.”
There was an added security presence around Golden1 Center before a game between the Sacramento Kings New York Knicks because of the protest. Perimeter barriers were set up around the arena and an adjacent plaza was closed, with only ticketed fans and people with credentials being allowed inside. No incidents were reported near the venue.
That was in contrast to last year, when hundreds of people locked arms surrounding the arena, preventing fans from entering two games to protest the Clark shooting.
