Last night protests in Sacramento delayed the game between the Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks.
Over the weekend, 22-year-old Stephon Clark was shot multiple times in the backyard of grandparents home by the Sacramento Police Department. The police originally claimed Clark had a toolbar or a weapon in his hand, but the community became rightly outraged when it was discovered it was only a cell phone.
Dave Kempa on Twitter
Chants of “it’s a phone, not a gun” at Sacramento City Hall rally/protest for Stephon Clark https://t.co/KDk4L03775
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive took the initiative to address fans and others while in the Golden1 Center with a message that was in contrast to the pro-business sports owners.
The Shadow League on Twitter
At the game last night, Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Randiv eloquently and calmfully addressed the fans and the community after protestors at the arena expressed their outrage about the death of unarmed #StephonClark. https://t.co/kGPp116dWe
While the majority of America might want to separate politics and sports, the disrespect and lack of response for the disproportionate amount of police violence targetting minority communities is abhorrent. Let Ranadive’s response for a call of collective action be an example for sports franchise owners as the proper way to respond to tragedy.
