Stephon Clark’s brother made national headlines after he interrupted a meeting of Sacramento’s City Council to protest his brother’s killing at the hands of two city cops. Stevante Clark is now among the leaders of protests in Sacramento as Stephon’s family seeks answers as to how the unarmed 22-year-old was shot 20 times on March 18. Police were in the area of Meadowview, where Stephon and Stevante’s lived with their grandmother and grandfather, to look for an African-American suspect who was allegedly smashing car windows in the area. When cops encountered Stephon Clark, the believed him to be the suspect. The officers thought they were being fired upon and in turn, shot Stephon, killing him. It’s believed the officers thought Stephon’s cell phone was a gun.
On March 27, Stevante helped to escalate the protests even further when he and a large group of activists raided a Sacramento City Council meeting. The group chanted Stephon’s name while Stevante egged the crowd on by shouting, “Louder! Louder! Louder!” Since Stephon’s shooting, protesters have shut down highways and twice shutdown Sacramento Kings basketball games.
Here’s what you need to know about Stephon Clark’s brother:
1. Stevante Says: ‘The Mayor Wants to Talk to Me But the Chief of Police Doesn’t Care’
Speaking to the crowd inside of the city hall chambers, Stevante told his followers, “the mayor and the city of Sacramento has failed all of you.” Stevante mentioned gang violence, poverty and the city’s escalating rent prices, according to CNN’s report on the incident. Mayor Darrell Steinberg brought a halt to the meeting citing concerns over the safety of council members.
Stevante also told the crowd, “Now the mayor wants to talk to me. The chief of police got my brother killed. He doesn’t care. He shows no emotion at all.” The CNN report adds that another person involved in the protests asked followers to hold up their cell phones while asking the council, “Does this look like a gun?”
2. Stevante Has Earlier Said That Despite His Brother’s Earlier Mistakes, Stephon Clark Was Turning His Life Around
In an interview with KOVR on March 23, Stevante said of his brother’s shooting, “I know there could have been another way. He didn’t have to die.” During a separate interview with HLN, Stevante said that his brother “was arrested before, but he’s been different lately… He really changed his life. He was a people person who everybody wanted to be around. We came from underprivileged, broken homes, but he didn’t care about nothing else but his kids.” During that same interview, Stevante compared his brother stylish nature to that of professional wrestler Ric Flair.
3. Stevante Is an Aspiring Rapper Going by the Moniker Pharoah Davinci
Stevante is an aspiring rapper in the Sacramento-area performing under two monikers, Pharoah Davinci and Mista Black Market, according to his Facebook page. Stevante is represented by Black Market Music. On his Sound Cloud page, Stevante says that he is a two time winner of the Inspirational Award. He adds that he has his own studio and distributes his own music. Stevante also writes that he is eager to sign new rappers and singers to his own label.
It’s under his rapping name that Stevante has raised nearly $80,000 to pay for his brother’s funeral as well as other expenses in a Go Fund Me page. When speaking to HLN, Stevante said, “I just want to make sure his kids go to school, my mom is good, and he gets buried in a way we don’t have to worry.” The Go Fund Me also says that it’s the family’s wish that Stephon is buried next to his other brother who was also killed by gun violence.
4. Stevante Lists One of His Jobs as a Security Officer at the Sacramento Kings Arena
According to his Facebook work section, Stevante writes that he is a security officer at the Sacramento Kings basketball arena, the Golden 1 Center. On two separate occasions since Stephon Clark’s shooting, protesters have shut down the arena while games are being played. On March 25, Kings players, along with their opponents that night, the Boston Celtics, warmed up in t-shirts that read, “Accountablity” and “We are One.”
5. Police in Sacramento Are Maintaining that Stephon Clark Was the Suspect They Were Looking for
Authorities in Sacramento are maintaining that they believe it was Stephon Clark who was smashing car windows in the Meadowview area of the city. In his interview with HLN, Stevante said that his brother “wasn’t a thief.” On March 27, the New York Times reported that California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra was stepping in to the investigation while the California Department of Justice was also going to review the Sacramento Police Department’s training practices and use of force.
