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Twitter’s Powerful Reaction To The Philando Castile Verdict

Sarah Midkiff
June 17, 2017, 4:30 PM
Photo: JOY POWELL/AFP/Getty Images.
On Friday, a Minnesota jury found the police officer charged with fatally shooting Philando Castile not guilty on all counts including second-degree manslaughter. According to CNN, jurors deliberated for 27 hours after hearing two weeks of testimony about the July 6 traffic stop in which Jeronimo Yanez shot and killed the 32-year-old Castile whose death amassed worldwide attention after his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was a passenger at the time of the shooting along with Castile's 4-year-old daughter, broadcast the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook Live.
This is just one of a series of fatal cop shootings that resulted in an officer going unpenalized. Often, they go straight back to their jobs without repercussions. Since the verdict, thousands of protesters have gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota to peacefully express their shock and disgust over the results of the trial.
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While holding signs reading "Justice was not served for Philando," protestors joined the countless who march after each shooting in the hopes of affecting a system for the better. Those who believe justice has not been served not only took to the streets, but to Twitter where they echoed sentiments of disappointment, injustice, and exhaustion.
This included Orange Is The New Black star Danielle Brooks, who wrote that anyone who mourned the loss of Poussey last season, need to do the same now: "Every time you think of Poussey, think of a real Human Being. Shed a real tear. Get angry about a real death. #PhilandoCastile."
Master Of None star Lena Waithe made it clear that hashtags are helpful, but they're not the real answer. "#PhilandoCastille's family deserves more than a trending hashtag," Waithe wrote. "They deserve justice. No justice. But we peaceful."
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Castile's mother Valerie made a statement addressing the media and had this to say about the verdict:
"There has always been a systemic problem in the state of Minnesota, and me thinking, common sense, that we would get justice," she said. "But nevertheless, the system continues to fail Black people. I am so disappointed in the state of Minnesota. My son loved Minnesota. He had one tattoo on his body and it was of the Twin Cities. My son loved this city, and the city killed my son and the murderer gets away."

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