SACRAMENTO, California — Sacramento Black leaders are denouncing recent protests from Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg's home to the Capitol.
Leaders say weekly race wars at the Capitol between white supremacists and anti-fascists have gone ignored by journalists and that so-called allies are doing more harm than good to groups like Black Lives Matter.
Local leaders are denouncing protests that ended in property damage after Steinberg's home was vandalized following demonstrations criticizing the city's response to multiple deaths that occurred during storms at the end of January. Six people died outdoors but the county coroner did not confirm the cause of the deaths.
Sonia Lewis, a community activist, said violence and destruction aren't the answer.
"If we want to get into the ear of city officials, of those who are in positions of power to make changes, we have to strategize and come together," Lewis said.
Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO said demonstrations should follow examples through the history of peaceful protests.
"You can't appropriate BLM or your own ends or your own goals," Hewitt said. "We are about change, not chaos."
Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn joined the growing list of leaders saying that enough is enough. He also agrees that violence and property damage is not how to solve differences.
“This takes away from people who are protesting to make our world better, and it puts the safety of our community and our leaders in jeopardy,” Hahn said.
