Poll of the Day > Protests over Stephen Clark, who was shot and killed by police on Thursday.

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https://www.npr.org/2018/03/22/596179988/sacramento-residents-concerned-over-video-showing-police-shooting-unarmed-man

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43512095

Protesters in Sacramento, California, blocked a motorway and basketball arena over the killing of an unarmed man.

Scores first gathered at city hall, waving signs and demanding action. Scuffles were reported but police said there were no arrests.

The protests were sparked by the release of police video showing the killing of Stephon Clark, 22.

Police shot him about 20 times on Sunday night while responding to reports of break-ins in the area.

Officers said they thought Mr Clark, who was black, had a gun, but only a mobile phone was found at the scene.

Sacramento police said the officers were chasing a reported thief who damaged three vehicles in the neighbourhood.

The suspect was seen from a helicopter breaking the glass door of a house before hopping over a fence next door.

Police confronted and killed Mr Clark, a father-of-two, in the backyard of his grandmother's home.

Body camera footage shows it was dark as officers ordered him to show his hands before opening fire as they shouted: "Gun, gun, gun!"

Each officer shot 10 bullets, according to the Sacramento Police Department.

The local Black Lives Matter group organised Thursday's demonstration.

Sacramento police told local media that the two responding officers are now receiving death threats.

They were named on Friday by a lawyer based in Oakland, California.

Black Lives Matter called on police to fire them, and for prosecutors to charge them with murder.

After the release of the video on Wednesday night, protesters marched into Sacramento city hall at 15:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Thursday.

The demonstrators then marched to Interstate 5, reportedly standing in front of vehicles chanting: "Don't shoot, it's a cell phone."

The motorway was blocked in both directions and caused mile-long traffic jams.

The protesters then moved to the Golden 1 Centre, where the Sacramento Kings were scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks at 19:00.

Arena security teams blocked entrance to the stadium, leaving protesters and ticket holders outside.

Forty minutes after the planned start time, the Kings announced they would not allow in any more spectators.

Only about 2,000 of 17,000 ticket holders managed to take their seats before the game began after a delay.

Police in riot gear arrived at the arena shortly after the protesters.

While some at the arena expressed support for the protests, others were angry at the disruption.

Fermin Rodriguez, who brought his wife and children to the game, told the Sacramento Bee of his disappointment.

"I feel their pain, but why do we have to suffer as well? We paid a lot of money for these tickets. I hope they give us a refund."

The dumbest thing about these protests is that they're literally standing and protesting in the middle of a freeway, blocking traffic in a high-commuted area.

WastelandCowboy posted...

The dumbest thing about these protests is that they're literally standing and protesting in the middle of a freeway, blocking traffic in a high-commuted area.

And yet, it's when protestors quietly kneel during the playing of a national anthem of an entertainment spectacle, interrupting absolutely nothing, that makes people absolutely frothing angry.

I don't agree w/ the blocking of roads, I'd rather they do the kneeling thing, it interrupts no one's life. I've said so in the past many times on here. But the country has spoken, and deserves what it gets.

I looked at the news and drove to work with a different route, it's not that big of a deal. This is the second day it's happened, life moves on

What better way to get people to support your cause than by annoying the fuck out of them
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From what I've read on the shooting, it seems like one of the more justifiable ones. The cops are supposed to be releasing body cam footage so that should help clear things up.
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VeeVees posted...

What better way to get people to support your cause than by annoying the fuck out of them

Did you hear about the shooting before the protests? Probably not. Nor did you hear about the other unarmed black young man who was shot to death less than a year ago. Feel however you want about the protests, they're happening this way for a reason

DrunkCaveman posted...

VeeVees posted...

What better way to get people to support your cause than by annoying the fuck out of them

Did you hear about the shooting before the protests? Probably not. Nor did you hear about the other unarmed black young man who was shot to death less than a year ago. Feel however you want about the protests, they're happening this way for a reason

I heard, and guess what I don't really care. They didn't even exist to me before just a couple minutes ago. Their lives mean nothing to me.
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trumps america. racist ass group is running everything. fuck pigs
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VeeVees posted...

I heard, and guess what I don't really care. They didn't even exist to me before just a couple minutes ago. Their lives mean nothing to me.

Nor does the traffic their protests created, I imagine

Third_Eye posted...

trumps america. racist ass group is running everything. fuck pigs

Idk if you're joking or not but this has been a problem spanning the Obama era as well, nothing has changed between the two presidents

The shooting was fair. Had he just stopped and gotten down on the ground when he was told too, instead of running in the first place he would be alive. I've seen the video, both body cams and the helicopter view. He had a small object in his hand in the dark after running from the police. It's an honest mistake on the part of the cops and it is all that dipshit's fault that it happened to him. I don't care that it turned out to be a phone. The cops shouldn't have to wait until they've been shot to start shooting back. If you run from the police in the dark with a small object in your hand you accept the risk of having it mistaken for a gun and getting your stupid ass shot.


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Is this proportionate response to, even if the actual culprit, "damaging several vehicles"?
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Lokarin posted...

Is this proportionate response to, even if the actual culprit, "damaging several vehicles"?

It's an appropriate response to "criminal actively refusing to comply with orders turns around with a small object in his hand in the dark". The time to wait and see what the object could be is a luxury that officers do not have. Should officers wait until one catches a bullet to the head before they open fire?
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this topic was two hours away from purging.
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Lol, who bumped this?

Protests are continuing in Sacramento and it's gotten a little ridiculous.

http://www.kcra.com/article/protesters-demand-change-as-they-march-through-downtown-sacramento-for-stephon-clark/19626521

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA)
Protesters are blocking traffic in front of the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office Wednesday evening after marching through the city and calling for accountability in Stephon Clarks police shooting death.

Demonstrators began protesting in front of the DAs office around 3 p.m. They want the two police officers who killed Clark to be indicted for the shooting and put on trial.

Clark was shot and killed March 18 in his grandparents' backyard in south Sacramento. Officers were responding to a call about a person breaking car windows at night, when a Sacramento County sheriffs helicopter led officers to Clark, who began to run away. The two responding officers believed he was armed and fired 20 rounds at Clark, police said. Investigators later discovered Clark was holding a cellphone.

Sacramento police released videos of the shooting three days later.

After about an hour, protesters moved to the intersection of G and 9th streets, blocking the roadway as they chanted.

Several minutes later, they marched south on 9th Street, walked past Sacramento City Hall and headed toward the I Street onramp to Interstate 5.

There, protesters blocked traffic. California Highway Patrol officers kept protesters off the highway by blocking the onramp.

Protesters then marched to J and 5th streets and stopped traffic there for some time.

By 6 p.m., protesters returned to the DAs office.

Protesters also called for change in police training and protocols.

The California attorney general's office on Tuesday joined the investigation, a move Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn said he hopes will bring "faith and transparency" to a case that he said has sparked "extremely high emotions, anger and hurt in our city."

Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office will provide oversight of the investigation and conduct a review of the police department's policies and use-of-force training. The decision of whether to bring criminal charges against the officers involved remains with District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, although Becerra said his office could also bring charges.

During the demonstration Wednesday, protesters chanted, Say his name, and responded with Stephon Clark. They also chanted, Whose streets? Our Streets.

This was the second day in a row demonstrators gathered outside the DAs office for a protest. The protest dissipated before 6:30 p.m.

WastelandCowboy posted...

Lol, who bumped this?

the post above me was Rasmoh, the one above him was already deleted by the time i posted
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helIy posted...

WastelandCowboy posted...

Lol, who bumped this?

the post above me was Rasmoh, the one above him was already deleted by the time i posted

I have no idea who that is.