Cyrus Langhorne
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)
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Over the past few hours, people have relied on social media to share their reactions.
Unbelievable. And yet so fucking believable. #StephonClark https://t.co/KVdOYp8YaS
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 2, 2019
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These safe zones will be available to families and young people looking for somewhere to go today to talk about their feelings following the #StephonClark decision. pic.twitter.com/yd5VSICUC5
— @mayor_Steinberg (@Mayor_Steinberg) March 2, 2019
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)
