Tag Archives: Stephon Clark

NFL Reveals PSA on the Police Killing of Stephon Clark to Air on National Networks

stephon clark mural

The NFL has released a Public Service Announcement detailing the death of Stephon Clark, an unarmed 22-year-old man who was fatally shot and killed in his grandmother’s backyard in Sacramento, California by two officers from the Sacramento Police Department. The PSA will be aired on ESPN, NBC, and the NFL Network later this week.

The PSA is narrated Stephon’s mother, Se’Quette Clark, and is the latest effort from a joint initiative between Roc Nation and the NFL about the need to create positive change in our communities and end systemic racism. The PSA is a part of the Inspire Change initiative and is the first of The Responsibility Program to air on television.

“With sincerity and gratitude, I would like to thank Roc Nation and the NFL for choosing to honor the life of my son, Stephon Clark, who was unjustly stolen from us on March 18, 2018 by Sac PD officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet who are still employed and patrolling our streets,” Se’Quette Clark said. “As a mother, I can’t help the immense feeling of pride; knowing my son’s life will affect so many people for generations to come. Since my son was murdered, my family has been extremely dedicated to social justice reform through our footwork in this new Civil Rights Movement; my son, Stevante Clark emerging as a Civil Rights Leader in the movement; my mother, Sequita Thompson, and my membership in the Mothers of the Movement; our foundation IAMSAC (Stephon Alonzo Clark) and Stephon Clark Legacy; our weekly actionable, solutions platform titled Stephon Clark Sunday; and last but not least, the passing of The Stephon Clark Law (AB392) in California which holds police accountable for killing people when they did not pose a deadly threat and charging the officers in criminal court.”

The first PSA was released last November detailing Danroy “DJ” Henry, the former Pace University football player who was fatally shot by a police officer on Oct. 17, 2010, in Mount Pleasant, N.Y. Meek Mill and the Dreamchasers unveiled the second PSA of the program in December around Antwon Rose II, an unarmed 17-year-old and honor roll student who was fatally shot by an East Pittsburgh police officer on June 19, 2018.

“We want to continue to raise awareness for victims of systemic racism to ensure their stories are not forgotten,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility. “As part of Inspire Change, we will use our platform to recognize these individuals throughout history and support organizations that foster positive relationships between law enforcement and their communities.”

This past January the NFL released another highlighting Botham Jean, an unarmed 26-year-old man who was fatally shot by an off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer on Sept. 6, 2018, as part of the #EveryonesChild campaign. It was followed by Team ROC that told the story of Hadiya Pendleton, an unarmed 15-year-old girl who was shot in and killed in a Chicago park while hanging with friends.

You can see the new PSA below.

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Protestors Swarms Sacramento City Council Following Aftermath of Stephon Clark

Frustrated protestors erupted in the Sacramento City Council after California’s attorney general decided not to charge the police officers in the shooting of Stephon Clark.

The officers involved in the fatal shooting were responding to a 911 call that accused a man in a black hoodie of breaking into cars. Moments later, Clark was laying dead in his grandmother’s backyard.

As per the 800-page report published by the Sacramento Police Department, the police claim they thought Stephon Clark was aiming an object at them and “advance forward with his arms extended and holding an object in his hands,” the report said.

“When I come around the corner … I left cover and I look and I see that same subject with his hoodie and sweatshirt pulled up and his arms pointed out extended like this,” Terrence Mercadal told detectives hours after he and Jared Robinet shot Clark.

“… At which time I looked and based on the light coming off of … my tactical light — it appeared I thought that he had already shot at me because I saw what I believed to be a metallic reflection or muzzle flash — something coming at me,” Mercadal said. “I was scared. I thought that he had shot at me. I think I remember yelling, ‘Gun.’”

The documents were posted on a website after State Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that no charges would be filed against the officers.

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Sacramento Cops Won’t Be Charged In Killing Of Unarmed Black Man Stephon Clark

Vigil And Rally Held For Stephon Clark In NYC On 50th Anniversary Of MLK's Assassination

Source: Spencer Platt / Getty

The city of Sacramento, Calif. has become a gathering place of protests, this after it was announced that the officers who shot and killed unarmed Black man Stephon Clark won’t be charged. The 22-year-old Clark was shot dead in his grandmother’s backyard last year.

NBC News reports:

The shooting of Clark, 22, in his grandmother’s backyard on March 18, 2018, sparked protests. The two officers said they believed Clark had a gun and was in a shooting stance before they fired, but only a cell phone was found.

Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said body cameras and other evidence showed that one of the officers shouted at Clark to show his hands, that they took cover during the incident and that they saw a flash of light that one officer believed was the muzzle flash of a gun and the other thought was light reflecting off a gun.

Statements made by the officers asking whether the other was hit seconds after the shooting “support the belief that they honestly, without hesitation believed he had a gun,” Schubert said. Body camera video showed the flash of light, she said. She also said that helicopter video “conclusively shows that Mr. Clark was in fact advancing on the officers” during the encounter.

Angry protestors and Clark’s family, including his mother, Se’Quette Clark, have called out the district attorney and other city officials by framing the death as an injustice.

Photo: Getty

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Sacramento Cops Responsible For Killing Unarmed Stephon Clark Won’t Face Charges

Stephon Clark

The Sacramento police officers responsible for recklessly taking the life of unarmed black man Stephon Clark will not face criminal charges in last year’s fatal shooting. Despite ample protests and the facts behind the unjust shooting, both cops are off the legal system’s hot seat.

According to the local district attorney, the cops didn’t use extreme measures in taking Clark’s life.

Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said Officers Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet used lethal force lawfully. The officers have said they thought Clark, a vandalism suspect, had a gun but investigators found only a cellphone. “We must recognize that they are often forced to make split-second decisions and we must recognize that they are under tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving circumstances,” Schubert said. (PBS)

Over the past few hours, people have relied on social media to share their reactions.

In January, Clark’s family filed a multi-million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against the cops involved and city of Sacramento.

Clark’s family, including his two sons, his parents and his grandparents, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in January seeking more than $20 million from the city, Mercadal and Robinet, alleging that the officers used excessive force and that he was a victim of racial profiling. One of the officers who shot Clark is black and the other is white, police said. Passions were more inflamed by conflicting autopsy results.

African Americans and minorities having their lives taken at the hands of law enforcement has become a frequent trend especially in recent years.

Our country’s culture of shooting at what scares us has a body count in Black and Brown lives. Research has shown that Black people are three times more likely to be shot and killed by police than white men. In addition, Black men are 13 times more likely than white men to be victims of gun homicides. Black children and teens are 14 times more likely to be the victims of gun homicides than white children and teens. (Medium)

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