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Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is condemning a group of protesters who he says vandalized his property, destroyed a cherished homemade piece of art, threw rocks at his front door, and repeatedly shouted his children's names.
"This was not protest. This was anarchy," Steinberg said in a statement. "You want to challenge me, challenge me at City Hall. Challenge me in the community. Challenge me at the ballot box."
According to a news release by the Sacramento Police Department, over 80 officers monitored a planned demonstration on Saturday evening of approximately 50 people that gathered at Frank Seymour Park in South Sacramento. Most of the protesters were dressed in all black, wearing helmets and armor, and some were carrying shields.
Police said the demonstrators then marched to Steinberg's private residence, where they began to vandalize the property, throw rocks, steal security cameras and destroy light fixtures. In addition, they barricaded the front door and gate to the residence with landscaping debris that was removed from the yard.
The cost of the damage is estimated to be in the thousands of dollars, police noted.
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After police moved in to disperse the crowd, protesters left the residence and began to march down nearby streets. As they marched, the protesters pulled garbage cans and other items into the road. The officers then declared the protest an "unlawful assembly," and the protesters left the area.
"This was not a protest-it was a crime," Sacramento Police chief Daniel Hahn tweeted. "Local officials, and their families, should not be subject to criminal acts at their personal homes (or anywhere else). If we can ID suspects, arrests will be made."
Hahn noted in the news release that the Sacramento Police Department "unequivocally supports the expression of everyone’s First Amendment rights" but that the incident at the mayor's residence was "a group of people dedicated to the destruction of a local leader’s property."
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Detectives are conducting a follow-up investigation to identify those involved in any criminal activity related to the protest. Officers have received no other reports of vandalism to any other residences at this time.
"Violence and destruction has never been and never will be acceptable. By attacking my home, you attack my community. You will be held accountable for your actions," Steinberg added. "I am not backing down. I am more committed than ever to the city I love. I am never giving up on my life's work to fight for the least among us."
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Sacramento Police Department at 916-808-5471.
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