Philando Castile Laid To Rest In Hometown

By J.A. Salaam -Staff Writer- | Last updated: Sep 13, 2016 - 2:45:16 PM

Family, friends and mourners gather to bury Philando Castile at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. Mr. Castile was shot and killed July 6 in Minnesota after a St. Anthony police officer shot him during a traffic stop. Photo: J.A. Salam

ST. LOUIS—Family and friends recently gathered in the birthplace of Philando Castile in St. Louis, Missouri to celebrate his life. His mother Valerie Castile, with a very stern look on her face offered words of encouragement as she spoke candidly about her son and how the killing of Blacks by police have had a direct effect on future generations.

“My son was a man who loved God first. I just want say that we as a people; we have to come together, because we are on an endangered species list, if you understand that or not,” said Ms. Castile in front of mourners at Ronald L. Jones Funeral Chapels, Sept. 3

“Since 1994, 2,040 Black people have been killed that was of child-bearing years. You multiply that 2,040 by five, and take that and multiply that by five, and that by five. Now you’ve killed off several generations of Black people that will never be born,” said Ms. Castile.

Philando Castile, 32, was shot and killed July 6 in Falcon Heights Minnesota, after a St. Anthony police officer shot him several times during a traffic stop. Video of the aftermath of the shooting was live streamed online by Castile’s girlfriend, who said he was shot while reaching for his license to carry information after being told by the officer to get the information. Castile informed the officer that he was armed and licensed to carry a gun.

Philando Castile, 32, was shot and killed by a St. Anthony Police officer (Minneapolis) while in his car during a traffic stop. His girlfriend, Lavish Reynolds live streamed the aftermath on Facebook live. Photo: MGN Online

The disturbing video showed Mr. Castile slumped over, with blood oozing from his white T-shirt and quickly went viral. Mr. Castile’s death happened within 24 hours after Alton Sterling, another Black man, was fatally shot and killed by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The killings of both men sparked unrest and demonstrations nationally and internationally.

“I’m going to give it to you raw, everybody in here listening needs to understand that they have [unleashed] a systematic genocide against Black people. And you need to know and understand what is going on. I’m being lenient on my numbers, but it’s more than that. Let’s say you got 10,000 African American men of child-bearing age incarcerated and then you take them at 20 years old and you give them 40 and 50 years. By the time they get out they can’t have no more kids. So you take that 10,000 and you multiply that by five, by five, by five. You’ve killed over two million African American people,” she said

When family and friends entered the chapel, the white and gold casket was opened with a see-through vail draped over the head of Mr. Castile with black aisle barriers in front. The casket would normally be closed after the initial viewing, but Ms. Castile chose to keep it open, similar to the mother of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955 after her son was brutally beaten and killed. Ms. Castile wanted to show the world what was done to her son.

Pastor Danny Givens Jr., clergy liaison for Black Lives Matter in St. Paul, Minn., said days before his death, Philando commended him on his work with the BLM Movement.

“I would have never known that after leaving him playing chess in the garage at my little cousin’s that days later I would be tagged on a live video watching him being murdered,” said Pastor Givens.

“The world has seen it and it’s altogether familiar (with) the injustices that our people have suffered. They just have a quicker way of killing us now. It once was lynching and castration and all that other stuff and now it’s just bullets and billy clubs,” he added.

“You have to understand that the biggest terrorist group in America is the police. They have plans, they have been trying to kill us off for thousands of years but they haven’t succeeded yet,” said Ms. Castile.

“White supremacy has infiltrated our government and the police. Because these people, they can never do anything, because this sh** needs to be addressed. We are losing our kids at an alarming rate. ... If this continues, how will it look to China and Russia? The world is watching to see what happens and I’m telling you if this sh** sideways, you haven’t seen nothing yet.”

She added that she is working with legislators in Minnesota to pass laws to change how police are policing the community. She said that her son’s name will never be forgotten and she’s going to get justice for him. Ms. Castille was not at liberty to speak much about the ongoing case due to instructions from the family’s attorney, Glenda Hatchett.

“My son was a humanitarian. He was a gentleman. He worked for the school district for over 13 years. He had over 500 students. He knew all of them, their names and allergies. He didn’t deserve to die; he was in a car with doors locked, seat belt on, a child in the car, a woman in the car. He didn’t do anything.”

Mr. Castile was laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis next to his grandmother.

The Final Call