SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California prosecutors are asking the National Football League to take down a public service announcement on Stephon Clark, a California man who was shot and killed by two police officers in 2018.
What You Need To Know
- The video released by the NFL features Stephon Clark’s mother and is part of the organization’s Inspire Change campaign
- The Clark family said the public service announcement memorializes Stephon and sends a strong message for police accountability
- The President of the D.A. Association says the video misrepresents the facts
- The league says they created the initiative to prioritize education and economic advancement, criminal justice reform and police and community relations
The video released by the NFL features Stephon Clark’s mother and is part of the organization’s “Inspire Change” campaign. The league said they created the initiative to prioritize education, economic advancement, criminal justice reform, and police and community relations.
Stephon Clark’s brother, Stevante Clark, said he’s grateful the NFL chose to remember his brother’s life in the PSA.
“When the NFL did what they did, we felt excited, and the fact that they noticed Stephon, they recognized that Stephon should be here today,” Clark said.
The Clark family said the public service announcement memorializes Stephon and sends a strong message for police accountability.
The California District Attorneys Association, however, is asking the NFL to remove the PSA. The President of the D.A. Association, Vern Pierson, said the video misrepresents the facts.
“We felt that it was very divisive. It’s portraying these police officers as essentially behaving in a racist manner,” Pierson said.
Shortly after the PSA was released, California prosecutors responded with their own video claiming that, “it [the PSA] performs a disservice instead of a public service by omitting the crucial facts.”
The NFL has not responded to the prosecutor’s request, but when the video was first made public the league said in a statement the PSA intends, “to continue to raise awareness for victims of systemic racism to ensure their stories are not forgotten.”
Stevante Clark said even if the video is taken down in the future, he and his family will continue to keep Stephon’s legacy alive.
“We will be still calling for accountability and fighting for justice on all levels, no matter what that looks like, no matter how long,” Clark said.
The video still remains online.
According to the NFL, the Inspire Change campaign aims to create positive change within communities.