Six years after Sacramento police killing of Stephon Clark, family still seeks justice

The family of Stephon Clark held half a dozen events through the weekend to remember the 22-year-old shot dead by Sacramento police officers six years ago Monday.

And through the festivities — which continued with a justice and accountability march at the California Capitol on Monday afternoon — Clark’s family said they remembered his smile.

Clark, with his unabashed grin, would shower his two young children with love, brother Stevante Clark recalled. Clark’s grandmother, Sequita Thompson, said he always beamed at her and kissed her on the cheek.

“I can see it right now,” Thompson said of his toothy smile. “I just miss him.”

It was six years ago Monday, on March 18, 2018, that Clark died. Days later, the release of body camera video of the deadly shooting released by police sparked national attention, outrage and calls against police brutality.

Clark, a Black man, was fatally shot in the backyard of his grandparents’ Meadowview home. Authorities said the two officers who shot him believed he was holding a gun. Clark was unarmed and had a cellphone in his hand.

Large protests took place in Sacramento days after Clark’s death, and again in March 2019 after Sacramento County’s then-District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced she wouldn’t file charges against the two officers who shot him, Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet.

His name became a symbol. California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 signed the Stephon Clark law — changing how police may use deadly force — and the Sacramento Police Department altered its body-worn camera policies.

Stevante hoped the events held during the “legacy weekend” reminded community members of others lost to homicide or drug-induced deaths. It was to help mothers grappling with the loss of their children and provide them a community.

“Stephon is larger than life,” he said.

Sequette Clark said she was filled with joy as mothers across the nation came to graduate from her program helping them navigate their grief. She said she is proud as a mother to use her son’s name to form a community within Sacramento’s neighborhoods and beyond.

Despite the joyous nature of the weekend’s events, it’s hard to experience joy without Stephon’s presence, Stevante said. Six years later, he still wishes for justice, such as charging and convicting the two police officers who shot his brother.

“I feel like we’ve become desensitized … nobody cares anymore,” he said.

“I do have hope, though,” Stevante Clark said, later. “We just need to come together. I don’t know what that looks like.”