Sacramento desperately needs a new District Attorney to replace the conservative Trump supporter leading the system now. That’s why we’re endorsing Noah Phillips, a reformer, to become the next DA of Sacramento County.
Within seconds of seeing Stephon Clark, the Sacramento Police fired 20 shots at him, yelling gun, killing him right in his own backyard. Six minutes after he was shot, the officers finally approached Stephon’s body — not to administer lifesaving efforts, but to handcuff him. Later, the officers muted their body cameras so that their conversations could not be recorded.
Although the officers claimed Stephon pointed a gun at them, he was unarmed. Then they said he pointed a crowbar at them. That wasn’t found on the scene either. All he had was a cell phone. They had completely imagined everything else.
In cases like these, where there has already been so much horrific injustice, we shouldn’t have to worry about what comes next. We should be confident in our justice system, and know that those who committed murder will be punished and held accountable.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case in Sacramento, where the current District Attorney, Anne Marie Schubert, has consistently refused to hold police accountable for murdering or brutalizing unarmed people of color. She never charged a police officer who brutally beat an unarmed black man who was stopped for an alleged jaywalking offense. Nor did she charge officers who tried to run over an unarmed mentally ill black man with their patrol car before shooting him to death in 2017.
To this day she hasn’t even said a single word about the case. NOTHING. Her entire city is engulfed with grief and anger — and because she is beholden to her ultra conservative financiers, she’s kept her head in the sand.
We feel strongly that the murder of Stephon Clark requires us to step up immediately, and do all we can to change the state of the District Attorney’s office in Sacramento.
That is why we have decided to move forward today in endorsing criminal justice reform advocate Noah Phillips in the Sacramento County District Attorney race.
Will you join us in supporting Noah Phillips for Sacramento DA by making a contribution today?
Schubert is a conservative Republican in a county that voted for Clinton by nearly 60% in the 2016 general election. She is backed by one of Trump’s biggest allies in Sacramento, Republican Sheriff Scott Jones, who is not only her political supporter but one of her biggest financial contributors.
This is not OK. We can change this. We must.
Schubert’s challenger, Noah Phillips, knows what a disaster she has been as chief prosecutor in Sacramento County because he has served in the DA’s office. He supports bail reform, protecting undocumented immigrants, and expanding reentry services for returning citizens. He has a great plan to end mass incarceration and to fully fund diversion programs. He is already calling for justice for Stephon Clark and is stunned by the silence of Schubert at a time where the city deserves courageous leadership. Phillips wants to change the culture of a District Attorney’s Office from one that rewards overcharging, coercive plea bargains and racial disparities in bail requests, charging and sentencing to one that provides fair, equal justice for all.
Anne Marie Schubert is one of the most horrible district attorneys in the state of California. She represents Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions. It’s no wonder she continuously refuses to hold the police accountable for violence against people of color. Sacramento deserves a District Attorney who will represent the people, not the racist agenda of Trump supporters like Sheriff Jones.
We must put an end to the corruption and systemic racism in our justice system, and that starts by electing progressive District Attorneys who will fight for real justice across the country.
We can’t keep waiting for change to happen. We have to create this change ourselves — and that work in Sacramento starts now. I hope you’ll join us.
