Former Sacramento Kings players DeMarcus Cousins and Matt Barnes have offered to pay for the funeral of Stephon Clark as demonstrators in Sacramento continue to protest his killing by the police.
An unarmed Clark was murdered in his grandparents’ backyard after two cops shot him 20 times. According to police reports, they initially believed his cellphone was a gun.
Protesters took to the streets after bodycam video of the incident was released to the public. Over 100 people shut down traffic on Friday in downtown Sacramento as they walked to the state Capitol, the SF Gate reports.
Their demonstrations started Thursday when they blocked the entrance of the Golden 1 Center arena where the Sacramento Kings defeated the Atlanta Hawks in a half-empty arena, CNN reports.
“What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” the marchers shouted on Friday.
Clark’s family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses with a $80,000 goal. It had raised over $68,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
Barnes a former Sacramento Kings player who recently announced his NBA retirement, posted a photo of Clark with his daughter to his Instagram page Wednesday. He offered his condolences and asking anyone who knew the family to contact him.
Cousins, who now plays in New Orleans, has a strong history of community involvement and engagement in Sacramento. It is not clear if either play has made contact with the Clark family as yet.