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Politicians Respond To Fatal Shooting Of Philando Castile

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – In the hours following the fatal officer-involved shooting of 32-year-old Philando Castile, several politicians took to social media to share their reactions.

Minnesota State Representative Peggy Flanagan tweeted:

I can't sleep. Keep thinking about that sweet girl who saw a man killed and comforted her mother.

Rep. Keith Ellison said:

He later spoke at a press conference stating that "certain Americans live in fear that their name will become a hashtag."

"#TrayvonMartin. #MikeBrown. #TamirRice. #KyamLivingston. #WalterJones. #SandraBland. #EricGarner.  #RekiaBoyd. #LaquanMcDonald. #TanishaAnderson. #JamarClark. #AltonSterling. #PhilandoCastile. And the list goes on... and on…It is not enough to say "Black Lives Matter". It's time to make the system mean it. We need immediate and meaningful accountability and justice. Officers who use excessive force cannot assume immunity as they routinely do today. We need one standard of justice for all. I join my colleague Representative Betty McCollum in calling for an immediate investigation by the Department of Justice.

Sadly, we in the Twin Cities have been here before – most recently with Jamar Clark. Nothing we do now will bring Philando Castile back. But justice must prevail. Not just because our community will demand it, but because Philando deserves it."

Rep. Betty McCollum tweeted as well, saying:

Ken Martin, the Chairman for the DLF party, released a statement saying Castile was a hardworking member of the community.

"We shouldn't get used to a family losing a loved one to senseless violence, even though we've seen too many struck down before us. We must refuse to accept that this is the world we live in and work together to change it. We can't bring Philando, Jamar, Alton, Sandra, Eric, Trayvon or the others on the list that is too long back to their families. But we can stand together and fight against this wrong. We can take action and make sure that these killings don't happen again. We know that from this point forward, we're not going to stand apart and allow this violence to continue because it happened in Baton Rouge or somewhere else. We're going to make the changes that need to be made and finally put a stop to this. His name was Philando Castile and his death is unacceptable."

Sen. Al Franken also issued a statement, saying he is horrified and heartbroken to hear the news.

"I am horrified that we are forced to confront yet another death of a young African-American man at the hands of law enforcement. And I am heartbroken for Philando's family and loved ones, whose son, brother, boyfriend, and nephew was taken from them last night. They deserve nothing less than a full and independent investigation into Philando's death by the Department of Justice."

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