Philando Castile’s mom reacts to officer acquittal in the killing of her son

Posted on June 17, 2017 by SouthernGirl2

I am distraught over this. Acquitted of all charges. The cop wasn’t even charged for disarming a fire arm….with a little girl in the back seat. Bullets came within inches of the child. It didn’t matter to the jury. It’s gross injustice. I don’t want to live in any place where my life, my kids and loved ones lives are not valued because of their blackness. Killer cops being charged with a crime don’t mean anything because they know their good ole boys are going to acquit them of any charges. Police violence in America against unarmed black citizens is a human rights issue. America has the gall to lecture other countries about human rights & allows state sanctioned terrorism against black citizens.

Philando Castile Mom’s response to not guilty verdict

Jurors picked are by design. The whole damn thing need to be dismantled. Racists are wreaking havoc on the justice system. This is an epidemic and should be taken to the world court for human rights abuse.

Philando Castile did nothing wrong. He didn’t break any laws. He followed police orders but still shot dead on video. And NO JUSTICE!

Raw emotion from John Thompson, Philando Castile’s friend, after verdict announced. #BlackPain
Family and friends of the Castile family cross the street to return to their hotel after a not-guilty verdict was read in the trial of St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul on June 16, 2017. A jury found Yanez was reasonable in his decision to fatally shoot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights in July 2016. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)
A tear runs down the face of Allysza Castile, the sister of Philando Castile, as she talks to the media after a not-guilty verdict in the trial of St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul on June 16, 2017. A jury found Yanez was reasonable in his decision to fatally shoot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights in July 2016. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)
Judge Glenda Hatchett was hugged by Philando Castile supporter Guthrie Morgan, 7, after Geronimo Yanez acquittal
Glenda Hatchett, an attorney for the Castile family, reacts to a not-guilty verdict in the trial of St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez outside the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul on June 16, 2017. A jury found Yanez was reasonable in his decision to fatally shoot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights in July 2016. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

My friend, 3ChicsPolitico’s ride or die Chick, Liza wrote this.

LIZA: What has this nation become? Not one of us would wish this fate for ourselves, for our family members or friends. No one wants to die this way, bleeding out in the front seat of a car, shot by a cop after being stopped and pulled over for no reason and trying to cooperate, trying to stay alive. What exactly is it that stops people from condemning these acts of violence and bringing the killers to justice?

This is about our basic human rights, our right to live.

About SouthernGirl2

A Native Texan who adores baby kittens, loves horses, rodeos, pomegranates, & collect Eagles. Enjoys politics, games shows, & dancing to all types of music. Loves discussing and learning about different cultures. A Phi Theta Kappa lifetime member with a passion for Social & Civil Justice.
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60 Responses to Philando Castile’s mom reacts to officer acquittal in the killing of her son

  1. Liza says:
    June 20, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    The legal lynching of #PhilandoCastile. Video just released today. An abomination. This officer is a murderer. Philando obeyed the law. pic.twitter.com/JNXA1XTlVk— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) June 20, 2017

    //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      June 19, 2017 at 7:53 pm

      An excellent article.

      Reply
    • Liza says:
      June 19, 2017 at 7:58 pm

      THIS: “America is a sadistic bastard, that executes Black people and then foists a microscope and microphone onto their grieving families. With or without their consent, images and the murder of their loved ones at the hands of cops or vigilantes becomes endless loops on social media and cable news stations, illustrations, t-shirts, prom dresses, oil paintings, debit cards,and magazine covers. They are called upon, to be either voices of Black dissent or voices of Christ-like benevolence and forgiveness. They will be lambasted for either decision regardless of whether it’s in their best interest for their grieving process. Their pasts and private lives will become fodder to further impugn the reputation of their executed children. They will watch as the world dissects the life and corpses of their slain loved ones, looking for hints of depravity to justify their deaths or markers of respectability to deem them worthy of mourning.”

      Reply
    • Liza says:
      June 19, 2017 at 8:01 pm

      Continued: “As of now at least, it appears Valerie Castile is not interested in that job — and wouldn’t mind seeing the world burn. Six decades later, after images of Emmett Till have permeated America’s psyche, its “conscience” still has not been awakened. After countless Black parents have laid offerings of their slain children on its altar, this dormant God has not been summoned. Ms. Castile’s anger and public defiance is both long overdue and significant, and what’s even more significant is that she be allowed to express it. It’s important for us to allow these grieving parents the humanity that it has long been denied to them.”

      Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 20, 2017 at 11:44 am

      SPOT ON

      Reply
  3. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    June 18, 2017 at 9:04 am

    Philando Castile’s mother reacts to verdict:
    https://youtu.be/RJsD4c-CpUA&rel=0
    I thought it was important to create a transcript of Valerie Castille’s words:

    ”My son would never jeopardize anyone else’s life by trying to pull a gun on an officer, and the gun was not fire ready. These are some of the facts that came out in the trial, and I am so very very very very very very very disappointed in the system here in the state of Minnesota. ‘Cuz nowhere in the world do you die from being honest and telling the truth.

    “Now, these are some things that you need to know and recognize: there has always been a systemic problem in the state of Minnesota. And me thinking with my common sense that we WOULD get justice in this case, but nevertheless, it ever seems to fail us. The system continues to fail Black people. And, it will continue to fail you all. Like I said, because this happens with Philando, when they get done with us, they’re coming for you, for you, for you, and for all your interracial children. Y’all are next, and you’ll be standing up here, fighting for justice just as well as I am.

    ”I am so disappointed in the state of Minnesota. My son loved this state. He had one tattoo on his body, and it was of the Twin Cities. The state of Minnesota with TC on it. My son loved this city, and this city KILLED MY SON, and a murderer gets away. Are you kidding me right now?

    “We’re not evolving as a civilization. We’re devolving. We have taken steps forward. People have died for us to have these rights, and now we’re devolving. We’re going back down to 1969! Damn! What is it going to take? I’m mad as hell right now. Yes, I am. My first born, one son, dead here in Minnesota.

    “Under the circumstances, just because he was a police officer, that makes it okay. Oh, now they’ve got free rein…he’s found innocent on all counts. He shot into a car with no regard for human life, and that’s ‘okay.’ Thank you, (sarcastically) Minnesota. Thank you Minnesota. That’s all I have to say”

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      June 18, 2017 at 1:18 pm

      Thanks for transcribing this, Yahtzee.

      Powerful words.

      Reply
      • yahtzeebutterfly says:
        June 18, 2017 at 1:26 pm

        You are very welcome, Liza. Yes, her words are powerful.

        (I am always concerned that Youtube videos might disappear with time. That’s another reason I transcribed her words.)

        Reply
  4. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    June 18, 2017 at 7:19 am

    The school children and their parents have experienced the loss of their friend and helper. How can they ever understand how the justice system handled the killing of Philando?
    http://www.maryscullyreports.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Rally-at-school-of-Philando-Castile.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmxrF1oWcAAwkcm.jpg:large

    Reply
    • Liza says:
      June 18, 2017 at 1:06 pm

      These children have had their baptism of fire into the world of racial injustice. It will be hard for them. They will never understand this. Some of them will still be thinking about it when they are eighty years old.

      I just described what it was like growing up in the Confederacy in the 50s and 60s.

      Children know right from wrong at a very early age. They know what hypocrisy is even if they do not know that word. I speak from experience.

      Reply
  7. Liza says:
    June 17, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    I keep thinking about Valerie Castile and what she is saying in the video about how much her son Philando loved the state of Minnesota and the city where he lived. That isn’t hard to imagine. He had worked for the St. Paul public schools since he was 19 and he loved his job. He was taking care of the nutrition needs of 500 children. He knew their names, he knew which ones had food allergies. And they loved him. He was a good man doing good work and living a good life.

    Inexplicably, he is gone at the age of 32, his life over. No reasonable person can make sense of this or the fact that it just keeps happening. Driving while black, the cop who shouldn’t be a cop, seven bullets fired into a vehicle and another black man is gone.

    What Valerie Castile is telling us is that her son’s brutal killing in St. Paul cannot be reconciled with how much he loved his life there, how much he loved Minnesota. He was home, he was a member of the community, and he was a good man. He should have been safe, that was the place where he should have been safe.

    Reply
  11. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    June 17, 2017 at 12:47 pm

    In one way/form or another, it is still happening today in far too many cases:
    http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/07/15/636042006724272591-1860229809_686671244_orig.jpg

    This sign was carried by a young chicano in 1971:
    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ef/e5/a0/efe5a0d74c7f8b6b0d059c535e0e6bba.jpg

    Reply
  12. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    June 17, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    For anyone who missed this:
    https://youtu.be/u9Wf8y_5Yn4&rel=0

    Reply
  16. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    June 17, 2017 at 10:09 am

    I feel such heartbreak, such a deep sadness that Philando, who was polite and compliant with Ofc. Yanez, was killed by Yanez and that Yanez could be found not guilty.

    One of Ofc. Yanez’s missed Diamond Reynold’s daughter by 16 inches!!! No conviction on that charge of reckless endangerment???

    I think the traffic stop by Yanez of Philando reeked of stereotyping!

    I mourn. I WANT change. NOW. There is so much work ahead to make our justice system fair and equal for all citizens. I will continue to work for a better world.
    https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/875814089460555778

    https://twitter.com/mic/status/875811881616855044

    Reply
  17. SouthernGirl2 says:
    June 17, 2017 at 9:57 am

    Maybe black people should start causing hung juries everywhere? If we don’t receive justice no one receives justice! Maybe black people should fuck it up too?!

    https://twitter.com/Jasmyne/status/875813003370799104

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 17, 2017 at 10:07 am

      MIDWEST<<<<<<>>>>>FERGUSON

      Reply
    • yahtzeebutterfly says:
      June 17, 2017 at 10:17 am

      Excerpt from NPR article linked in above tweet:

      University of Minnesota Law School professor Myron Orfield says this doesn’t really surprise him. Back in 2003, he studied racial bias in policing.

      The state-commissioned study found that African-Americans and Latinos were more likely to be stopped than whites. That was especially true as they crossed into mostly white suburbs — or through the borderlands, as the Twin Cities locals call it — where they were up to seven times more likely to be stopped by police.

      “When you see those stark residential differences between neighboring communities, it’s often a sign that there’s some underlying discrimination going on,” Orfield said.

      This week, the St. Anthony Police Department released statistics on its traffic stops. They show that officers issue citations at the same rate as neighboring suburbs, but police disproportionately arrest African-Americans.

      About 7 percent of the residents in the area patrolled are African-American, but this year they make up about 47 percent of arrests. The data show that since 2011, African-Americans have been making up a larger percentage of arrests.

      The head of the Minneapolis NAACP, Nekima Levy-Pounds, compared the situation in the Twin Cities to Ferguson, Mo.

      Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 17, 2017 at 10:02 am

      I’ve always felt & known that the police system was not et up to protect and defend Black lives.

      The system of routine traffic stops & ticketing is a reoccurring pattern in cities across America. They’re set up to milk and rob POC-BLACK folks who are trying to make a living, keep a job to support themselves & their families. ****SEE FERGUSON**

      Reply
      • majiir says:
        June 17, 2017 at 4:02 pm

        I live in Macon, which is in Middle GA. I grew up here, have lived here for over 60 years, and it is still the case that if I travel into certain sections of the city, the residents there will dial 911, the police will show up and ask me why I’m in that particular neighborhood. Lots of White Americans deny that this is the case, but I know what I’ve experienced. I reached the conclusion long ago that part of the reason for their denial is that they don’t care what happens to certain Americans. Philando Castile should still be alive, working at the school where he was highly regarded, and spending time with his daughter, but he’s dead, and the b*st*rd cop who killed him isn’t being held responsible. The Minnesota PD is now saying Jeronimo Yanez is no longer employed with the department. It’s too late for the MPD to try to distance itself from Yanez. Yanez felt he could kill Philando because someone in a leadership position at the MPD had transmitted the policy that black lives don’t matter, and if a cop in that department kills one, s/he will suffer no legal consequences for doing so. Philando Castile is dead, and Yanez will most likely go to another PD in the state and get another job.

        Reply
  20. Ametia says:
    June 17, 2017 at 9:25 am

    Thank you for posting, SG2. I just ZONED out last night. IT’S TOO MUCH.

    Reply
  21. SouthernGirl2 says:
    June 17, 2017 at 9:01 am

    Maybe black people should start causing hung juries everywhere? If we don’t receive justice no one receives justice!

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 17, 2017 at 9:48 am

      The fact is, for these kinds of killings, their aim is to get the whitest jurors possible. And when there are a few POC on these juries, they attempt to BROW-BEAT into joining the rest in a ‘not guilt’ verdict.

      Reply
  22. rikyrah says:
    June 17, 2017 at 6:45 am

    The entire situation just enrages me.
    2nd Amendment?
    What a crock.
    This man was routinely harrassed for Driving While Black.
    He was shot because of his EXISTENCE
    Not because of anything he did.
    That can’t be explained away.

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      June 17, 2017 at 9:23 am

      All of this. I came home from work yesterday, and just tuned out. I needed the time to process.

      What kind of human beings would look at a man being shot in cold blood in a car with his girlfriend and daughter in the back seat, and think he came out of his house, in a car on the streets looking for a gun fight with the po po?

      The BLIND HATE AND RACISM in this country stymies any semblance of JUSTICE for BLACK AMERICANS.

      Reply

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