SACRAMENTO, Calif — On Monday, workers from the service industry, fast-food chains and the gig economy rallied with organized labor to protest systemic and economic racism in the U.S.
In Sacramento, a large caravan of activists marched from West Sacramento to the state capitol building in solidarity of the protest. Protests were held in at least 25 cities across the country in what was called the "Strike for Black Lives." Hundreds came out in Sacramento and kneeled for 8 seconds in solidarity.
"And once Stephon Clark was shot, I was like I need to understand why police officers are able to just kill Black people and not go to jail," community activist Jasper James said. "That was basically the start of my journey."
James is a local community activist who has drafted what is being called the Black Bill of Rights. It uses portions of the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's 49 recommended changes for the Sacramento Police Department following the police shooting of Clark. It includes things like the requirement that force is used only when necessary, like muting of body cameras and not paying officers when they are placed on administrative leave following a shooting.
"I'm not trying to sit here and take away the administrative functions from the police," James said. "Everybody needs administrative functions, but my issue is they honestly should not be getting more rights than the citizens they serve."
The Black Bill of Rights is now getting national attention with more than 5,000 signatures on a change.org petition. James says this will help the community move from demonstrations to meaningful legislation.
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