On Tuesday night, the Kings and Mavericks squared off in Sacramento. Dallas won, 103-97. It was a meaningless game — unless you care about lottery positioning. It was noteworthy, however, for one reason. Only a few thousand fans entered the Golden 1 Center before the team enacted “public safety measures” and closed off all entrances. Protestors demonstrated in response to the fatal shooting of Sacramento man Stephon Clark.
Public safety measures have been enacted and arena entrances remain closed.
We kindly ask all guests to travel home safely at this time.
Ticket holders unable to access tonight’s game will receive refund information from the team soon.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 28, 2018
The protests also led to a slightly delayed tip.
#StephonClark protests resumed outside of Golden 1 Center prior to the Mavs-Kings game pic.twitter.com/Hr6JpFyfQ0
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 28, 2018
About 4,000 fans were able to enter Golden 1 Center before the Kings closed it off. Team employees instructed fans who made it in to move closer to the court.
Fans inside the arena are being allowed to move closer to the floor. Estimated 4,000 fans were able to get in the building tonight before the lockdown.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBCS) March 28, 2018
The Sacramento Bee quoted some protestors as saying: “You ain’t seeing no game tonight. Join us or go home!”
This was the second time the team has done so. It also happened last Thursday in Sacramento’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Police shot and killed Clark, a 22-year-old black man, in his grandparents’ backyard March 18. He was unarmed. Police mistook his phone for a gun. The officers who pulled the trigger are now on administrative leave as an investigation continues.
The Kings released the following statement after Tuesday’s game: “Tonight’s demonstrations beginning at City Hall migrated to Golden 1 Center preventing ticketed guests from safely entering the arena. The safety of our guests is our number one priority…We continue to work with law enforcement and City leadership to ensure the safety and security of fans and the public on Thursday and at future events.”
