Philando Castile was the “lunch man” the kids all loved. Known to them as “Mr. Phil,” 32-year-old nutritional specialist was a Saint Paul native who had worked in the cafeterias of areas schools since 2002. He was as much a teacher as his colleagues: he swapped stories with the kids, made up secret handshakes with them, and taught them lessons about respect and honesty. Perhaps because he knew the struggles of being poor and Black –- he had been pulled over 46 times from 2002 to 2012 for various infractions (only 6 of were for actual traffic violations) and spent much his adult life paying off the tickets from them –- he would use his own money to help pay for kids’ lunch debts so they could eat.
Philando Castile was murdered by police on July 6, 2016, for legally owning a gun. Driving home with his girlfriend Diamond and her 4-year-old daughter, he was pulled over by cops on the pretext of a broken taillight, as they believed he fit the description of a robbery suspect: African-American male with a “wide-set nose.” Knowing he would have to reach into his pocket to get his license, Philando calmly informed the cop: “Sir, I have to tell you that I do have a firearm on me.” The cop told him “Don’t pull it out then,” to which Philando responded “I am not pulling it out.” In the next 10 seconds, the cop drew his pistol shot him 7 times at point blank range. As the cop interrogated Diamond (who live-streamed it on Facebook) with his gun still trained on Philando, he groaned “I wasn’t reaching” and slipped into unconsciousness. It would take 5 months of national protests for the cop to be charged with manslaughter; he would be acquitted of all charges.
Black lives matter.
