#RestInPower: Philando Castile Laid to Rest, Pallbearers Carry Out Casket With Raised Fists
Around 1,500 people gathered on Thursday to pay their respects to Philando Castile, the Minnesota man who was shot and killed by the police last week.
With his casket carried by a horse-drawn carriage, the procession started near J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School, where Castile worked, before making its way to St. Paul Cathedral, KARE-TV reported.
According to The New York Times, mourners, including Castile’s loved ones, Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, attended the 32-year-old’s funeral, which was open to the public.
During the eulogy, Rev. Steve Daniels said Castile’s death was the result of racial profiling, the New York Daily News noted.
“What had Philando done?” asked Daniels. “What had he done? He wasn’t resisting, he wasn’t running. He was respected by many. But most of all, he respected the law.”
“Once again, we have the death of an innocent Black man whose life was taken by the hands of a police officer due to his … wide … set … nose,” said Daniels.
“He was racially profiled, shot multiple times before his friend, his fiancée, his future wife,” he concluded.
In addition, Castile’s pallbearers had their fists raised as they carried his casket out of the church and marched down the street.
Rest in power, Philando.
Is Donald Trump Picking Indiana Gov. Mike Pence For The VP Slot?
The Indianapolis Star has confirmed that Donald Trump has tapped Indiana Governor Mike Pence to be his vice presidential running mate. According to the newspaper, Donald vetted numerous high-profile Republicans, including Chris Christie and Newt Gingrich, but decided to go with Mike instead.
Donald planned to announce Mike’s role on Friday, but has now delayed due to the Nice, France, terrorist attacks.
Mike has a long history of passing anti-LGBTQ legislation in his state, including the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act (which he later dialed back on the bill and amended it to prevent discrimination, which outraging social conservatives, Vanity Fair noted).
How will the 57-year-old evangelical Christian appeal to voters on the national level is unknown, but according to a 2015 Courier and Press article, Mike only had a 34 percent favorable rating among his own Indiana voters.
Melissa Harris-Perry To Join BET News As ‘Special Correspondent’
In addition to being Elle.com’s Editor-At-Large, Melissa Harris-Perry has a new gig: BET News “Special Correspondent.” Harris will work on developing long form news specials and will also contribute to various other programs, The Grio noted.
First on deck for MPH is joining co-anchor Marc Lamont Hill in covering the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this summer. BET is planning to air an hour-long recap special of the GOP convention on Sunday, July 24.
MSNBC who?
