Two nights ago, the community mourned the loss of Alton Sterling. While the media altered the narrative of the incident by focusing on the victim’s past to justify the actions of the officer involved, the family grieved and the city protested against police brutality.
Last night, angry crowds gathered to protest the loss of another man fatally shot by the police during a traffic stop. The aftermath of the shooting in Falcon Heights was caught on a graphic Facebook video, recorded by the victim’s girlfriend.
The victim was covered in blood and the girlfriend exchanged words with the officer involved, who was still pointing a gun inside the car. She explained to the officer that her boyfriend was licensed to carry and he was trying to retrieve his ID and wallet from his pocket, complying with the officers original demands. The officer responded, “I told him not to reach for it,” to which the girlfriend replied, “You told him to get his ID, sir, his driver’s license.”
The woman’s daughter witnessed the entire incident.
Philando Castile, 32, was a kitchen supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul school district. According to the family, Castile was “nowhere near being a bum, he was a good young man. He was a good kid who loved life.” His cousin, Antonio Johnson told reporters that Castile had been a straight-A student and graduated with honors from St. Paul Central High School. Others provided input calling Castile “an upstanding citizen,” NBC reports.
“They took a good man, a hard-working man; he worked since he was 18 years old,” Castile’s mother said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
However, even after all the good words of the Castile, according to the victim’s uncle, Clarence Castile, “They are going to try and make my nephew out to be a bad guy and get away with murdering another young black man.”
The life of a black man, a black woman or a black child, is of value regardless of what others may believe. Say his name, join the movement, it’s time for change because #BlackLivesMatter.
