In Sacramento, California, hundreds of demonstrators chanting “Black Lives Matter” shut down an interstate highway and delayed an NBA basketball game Thursday as they protested the police killing of 22-year-old Stephon Clark, an African-American father of two who was unarmed and outside his own home Sunday when he was gunned down by a pair of police officers. The protests came as Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn said he doesn’t know why the officers who killed Clark turned off the audio on their body cam video recorders in the wake of the shooting. Thursday’s protests delayed the start of the Sacramento Kings game against the Atlanta Hawks, as only a fraction of ticket holders made it into the arena. Afterward, team owner Vivek Ranadivé spoke in solidarity with the protests.
Vivek Ranadivé: “We stand here before you—old, young, black, white, brown—and we are all united in our commitment. We recognize that it’s not just business as usual, and we are going to work really hard to bring everybody together to make the world a better place, starting with our own community.”