In the wake of two separate police shootings captured on video that resulted in the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile – two African American men who appeared to not pose an immediate threat to officers — presidential candidate Bernie Sanders took to Twitter and called for lawmakers to get on the ball when it comes to criminal justice reform.
Soon after video emerged showing Tuesday’s police killing of Alton Sterling outside a Baton Rouge, Louisiana liquor store, a live video appeared on Facebook (which the social media platform later deleted) showing the death of Philando Castile, who was shot by police while reaching for his ID.
“We need real criminal justice reform so that people can walk down the street without worrying about whether they’ll get harassed or shot,” Sanders tweeted.
“As South Carolina Rep. Wendell Gilliard proclaimed: ‘Enough is enough of our police officers targeting people of color,'” he said in another post.
When somebody is killed while in police custody, it should automatically trigger a DOJ investigation. #AltonSterling https://t.co/pf95AxS1JX
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 6, 2016
The violence that killed Alton Sterling and Philando Castile has become an all too common occurrence for people of color and IT. MUST. STOP.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 7, 2016
Today African-Americans are almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police. #PhilandoCastille
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 7, 2016
We need real criminal justice reform so that people can walk down the street without worrying about whether they’ll get harassed or shot.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 7, 2016
As South Carolina Rep. Wendell Gilliard proclaimed: “Enough is enough of our police officers targeting people of color.”
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 7, 2016
In the case of Sterling, he was in possession of a firearm at the time of the shooting, but the video and witness accounts suggest that at no time did he brandish or pull out the weapon in a manner that would justify his death. At the time of Castile’s death, he was carrying a gun that he had a permit for and even informed the officer beforehand that he was armed as he reached for his wallet.
Featured image: YouTube
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