Robert Hansen is a reporter with the Sacramento Observer who covers local politics, homelessness, police, racism in education, and other social issues in the Sacramento region.
Although California has banned suspensions for “willful defiance” in grades K-12, both Elk Grove Unified and Sacramento City Unified school districts continued to suspend students for defiance during the 2023-24 school year, according to an OBSERVER analysis. The issue has gained new relevance as federal policies under the Trump administration threaten funding for schools that implement equity-based discipline practices.
Despite years of pledges to address systemic racism and discriminatory discipline practices, the most recent state data show that two school districts, Sacramento City Unified and Elk Grove Unified, continue to suspend Black students at some of the highest rates in California.
Like many Black teens across the country, Duchess-Angelica Wright struggles to maintain her mental health. As a young Black woman, a member of the LGBTQ community, and a former foster youth, she faces multiple layers of challenges and has attempted suicide three times. Recognizing that systemic barriers thwart many Black youth like Wright from seeking mental health care, community organizations are stepping In to provide support in trying to stem a swelling crisis.
The OBSERVER sat down with two local advocates who have worked to reduce gun violence in Sacramento and around the country for years. They discuss who tends to be the victims of gun violence, why guns are now more available to young people, and what can be done about it.
"Learning to use sensitivity and trauma-informed approaches with my subjects became paramount," writers reporter Robert Hansen.
The work of Dr. Garen Wintemute, a researcher at UC Davis Researcher, has shown that racism, apathy and narrow views are key factors.
Paula Anderson was getting her young children ready for bed, looking at pictures with her 3-year-old daughter Azalya in her home in 2018 when gunshots rang out.
While Black people make up roughly 12.6% of Sacramento County’s population, they account for about 52% of all gun-related deaths from 2019 to 2023, according to an Observer analysis of coroner data.
While Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper called the 2023 shooting death of a 10-year-old Black child an anomaly, the incident highlights the serious issue of people having guns who shouldn’t, and worse yet, children or teenagers having access to guns.
