More than 1,000 people participated in a die-in near the home of Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg in June 2020. / Photo courtesy Vina Guzman
BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz.com
Black Lives Matter Sacramento plans to hold a demonstration this week in Natomas near the home of Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan.
The “sit-in/die-in” is being promoted on multiple social media platforms for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22 in the Natomas Park neighborhood. (A die-in is a form of protest in which participants simulate being dead.)
In a letter dated July 18, Chan alerted his neighbors of the planned protest.
“I wanted to give you advance notice so that you can plan accordingly, such as parking your car outside of the protest area,” Chan wrote. “You might also want to consider leaving or returning home outside of the scheduled protest times as traffic in the area will likely be impacted.”
Chan was appointed to the city manager post in February 2017. He was hired by the city in 2002 as Sacramento’s parking manager and was promoted to assistant city manager in 2013.
Black Lives Matters Sacramento organizers have criticized Chan and his role in overseeing the Sacramento Police Department and its budget.
On June 5, Black Lives Matter Sacramento held a “die-in” in the Pocket neighborhood, where Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg lives. The protest called for police reform and drew more than 1,000 protesters who temporarily closed Greenhaven Drive to car traffic.
Earlier this month, the city council approved a plan to hire an inspector general for police oversight, one of Steinberg’s proposals following national protests against police brutality sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby confirmed that she and staff from her office walked the street that Chan lives on and the surrounding area, on Saturday, to make the community aware of the planned demonstration.
“The Police Department will be in the area ensuring the safety of the neighborhood and the protesters,” Chan’s letter reads.
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