Protesters march through St. Anthony to remember Castile

Published 10:00 pm Sunday, June 18, 2017

By Doualy Xaykaothao, Minnesota Public Radio News

A couple of hundred people marched through St. Anthony Village Sunday afternoon to remember Philando Castile and protest the acquittal of the officer who killed him.

On Friday, a Ramsey County jury found St. Anthony officer Jeronimo Yanez not guilty on manslaughter and firearms charges for the shooting death of Castile during a traffic stop.

Email newsletter signup

Marchers held signs that read, “Justice for Philando” and “We leave when we get justice.”

John Thompson, a friend of Philando Castile, speaks to the crowd that gathered. Maria Alejandra Cardona/MPR News

Laurie Bushbaum is a Unitarian universalist minister from Minneapolis. She disagreed with the jury’s verdict and believes there’s no way to explain his death except for racism.

“As I’m standing here in this parking lot holding this sign that says Minnesota shame… I feel for the first time that I’m utterly ashamed to be a Minnesotan,” she said.

Sunday marked the third day of demonstrations against the verdict. Saturday night, 200 people marched on Hennepin Avenue, briefly shutting down the street and delaying light rail trains.