Sacramento State Hosts Town Hall Focused On Death Of Stephon Clark

By Gabriela Fernandez

Sacramento State leaders provided a space Monday for the campus community to express feelings about the death of Stephon Clark, the 22-year-old who was shot and killed by Sacramento police last March.

The university was supposed to hold a town hall meeting focused on campus issues. Instead, leaders hosted a series of performances reflecting on Clark's death in anticipation of Saturday's announcement there would not be criminal charges filed against the officers.

“The weight and pain of this week’s decision regarding the police shooting of Stephon Clark is too heavy to ignore,” Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen said. “As ASI [Associated Students Inc.] president, Noel Mora stated recently, ‘If we are to be Sacramento’s anchor institution then we have to confront the issues facing Sacramento.’”

DeWayne LaMont, a recent graduate, performed two songs about racial discrimination.

LaMont said this is a moment for students to think about their role in the community and how they can make change.

"In the midst of all the things we see going on, we see a lot of division,” he said. “There's a lot of people that represent different perspectives. It's important that we all play our role to be a bridge at the end of the day."

Sacramento State will hold two more events this week focused on race and social justice.