The brother of police shooting victim Stephon Clark has taken the first steps toward running for Sacramento mayor in the upcoming 2020 election.
Stevante Clark, 25, filed his paperwork with the California Secretary of State on Nov. 19 opening a pair of finance committees for his mayoral bid in the general election, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Since his brother’s death, Stevante Clark has talked about his desire to pursue a career in politics. ( AP Photo)
“I don’t have the most experience, I’m not the smartest guy,” Stevante Clark said Tuesday. “At the same time, I am from the city of Sacramento and if there’s anybody who’s going to listen to the people of Sacramento and who knows the problems of Sacramento, it’s me.”
Clark is the older brother of Stephon Clark, 22, the unarmed Black man gunned down by Sacramento police in his grandparent’s backyard March 18. The deadly shooting sparked massive protests across the city as demonstrators halted traffic on Interstate 5 and blocked the entrance to Golden 1 Center.
Since the shooting, Stevante Clark has been an outspoken voice in the demand for justice for his slain brother. However, his public outbursts and sometimes volatile behavior have caused worry for some. The elder Clark made headlines earlier this year when he disrupted a meeting at City Hall by hopping on the dais and telling Mayor Darrell Steinberg to just “shut the f—ck up.”
Clark has since apologized to Steinberg and said the trauma of his brother’s death has been the source of mental anguish, which prompted him to seek treatment in April, according to the newspaper.
“Even though I did decide to run for mayor after the death of my brother, I’m not making this about me in retribution and revenge,” Stevante Clark said.
If elected, the mayoral hopeful said he’ll work to address quality of life issues plaguing the city’s “underdeveloped communities.” Clark also plans to propose sweeping police reforms, including additional training for officers in use of force and implicit bias. The proposed reforms, called the Clark Family Act, would also call on the city to hire more officers of color from the area.
”They don’t necessarily have to be from South Sacramento, but officers of color from Oakland’s urban areas or LA’s urban areas,” he explained. “Officers who know the struggle, who know where the people of those neighborhoods come from.”
Moreover, Stevante Clark said he hopes to open community resource centers in his brother’s name that will offer everything from job training to childcare and mentoring programs.
“Mental health is one of the biggest things I want to combat,” he added.
Other issues on Clark’s to-do list include increasing community outreach, building affordable housing and combating gang violence. As reported by the Sacramento Bee, Clark has previous experience working as a political consultant on the gubernatorial campaign for Libertarian Nickolas Wildstar.
The aspiring politician told the newspaper he plans to move out of state if he loses the election.
