Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

(In)Justice System Murders Philando Castile, Rules Itself Not Guilty

Once again, police get away with murder. This time of Philando Castile, shot in front of his girlfriend and daughter. This shows the true nature of the police and of the (in)justice system.

Julia Wallace

June 17, 2017
Facebook Twitter Share

Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The streets of Minneapolis are teeming with thousands demanding “Justice for Philando Castile!”

Castile was murdered by police. He was shot in front of his four year old daughter, sitting in a car, wearing his seatbelt. The murder was live streamed on facebook by his girlfriend from the passenger seat. We all saw Philando Castile get murdered in cold blood. Yet, the when the verdict in the case of this killing came down, it was: “Not Guilty”.

“Not Guilty,” just like the cops who murdered 12 year old Tamir Rice. “Not Guilty,” just like the cops who murdered Eric Garner. And Erika Boyd. And Kimani Grey.

The murder of Philando Castile was committed by a racially and ethnically diverse police squad, and yesterday, Jeromino Yanez, a Latino cop, was acquitted. The racial identity of a police officer isn’t everything. In fact, it’s NOTHING when the occupation is itself based on oppression, exploitation, and the enforcement of capitalism. Asian cops, Black female cops, Latino cops, white cops — all have bloodied hands. Police officers from oppressed racial and ethnic groups are killers just the same. And they get away with it just the same. We do not need cops that look like us; we need to end the police oppression that systematically murders and imprisons us.

Philando Castile broke no laws — he had a licence to open carry and was not holding his weapon, but the police still shot him. This reveals exactly how much we should rely on the law and a “justice” system we don’t control. The courts are firmly held by the wealthy capitalists; over and over, they lock us up, often for minor offenses. And they let the cops walk for murder.

The threat of action in the streets, mobilizing, organizing, shutting it down — that is why the police were forced to go to court in the first place. It is thought that this is the first time in Minnesota’s history that a cop has faced charges for murder of a Black man (but certainly not the first time it has happened). The physical manifestations of our rage and indignation in the streets are what forced a trial. When the mobilization lulled, this opposition took a form tempered by courtroom “manners” which made it easier to obtain a “Not Guilty” verdict. And the family’s lawyers counseled them to stay calm… as if being nice to a judge has any chance of leading to the conviction of a murderous cop. As the call for “respectability” quells our anger, the threat against the police and courts lessens. Our restraint is a weapon used against us. Only the organized rage and willingness to fight by those who see this racist, capitalist system for what it is can change society.

Philando Castile was a union member. He was a cafeteria worker and member of Teamsters Local 320.

Still, there are those misguided “leftists” who fight for cops to have better wages and a union. They’ll be happy to know that Yanez is represented by Law Enforcement Labor Services, the Minnesota police union defending the Castile murder. But the police are not our “union brothers and sisters”; they are the paid executioners of working-class union members! As Tre Kwon wrote last year, “If the role of the police is the everyday surveillance of the working class and oppressed to ensure conditions of capitalist accumulation, private property and the ruling order, then the role of the police union is to protect them as they carry out this assignment. Police chiefs and union presidents have univocally defended the moral position and legal innocence of their rank-and-file murderers.When cops get caught in the “excesses” of their duties—like shooting an unarmed Black man in his car for no reason—the cop union will defend one of theirs in court to absolve them of murder. Through union negotiated contracts, cops who kill on the job are summarily protected and even lavished with paid suspension and leave.” This is why there should be #NoCopsInOurUnions.

Minneapolis is a union town with a history of workers’ struggle. The Trotskyists led a General Strike there in 1934 with the Teamsters — the union that would later include Castile. The strike lasted the whole summer and inspired other strikes all over the country. It cemented Minneapolis’s reputation as a union town with a powerful labor movement. Of course, there was oppressive police violence during that strike as well — the cops killed two people and injured over 60. Just as the Teamsters went on strike for their rights as workers, we too must organize to strike for our rights as oppressed people and demand that our unions defend their members against the police!

It’s time to regain the militancy of ’34 and #StrikeAgainstPoliceTerror. We can and must use our power as workers to fight back. In the streets, as well as in our workplaces, we alone have the power to “shut it down”.

#JusticeForPhilandoCastile

Facebook Twitter Share

Julia Wallace

Julia is a contributor for Left Voice and has been a revolutionary socialist for over ten years. She served on the South Central Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles and is a member of SEIU Local 721. Julia organizes against police brutality and in defense of LGBTQ, women, and immigrants' rights. When she's not actively fighting the patriarchy, white supremacy and/or capitalism, she enjoys many things: she loves Thundercat, plays ultimate frisbee and is a founder of the team, "Black Lives Hammer."

United States

Former president Donald Trump standing at a podium in front of American flags.

To Stop Trump, We Need Much More Democracy, Not Less

Democrats have been trying to kick Trump off the ballot as an "insurrectionist." Liberals say we have to restrict democracy in order to save it. As socialists, we think they have it backwards: to beat the Far Right, we need a mass movement fighting for radical democracy.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 18, 2024

New Jersey Democrats Attack the Public’s Right to Government Records

The New Jersey state assembly, led by the Democratic Party, just tried to fast-track a bill that would have gutted the Open Public Records Act. This is a reminder that their party is an obstacle, not an ally, in the fight to preserve democracy.

Samuel Karlin

March 15, 2024
President Biden giving his State of the Union speech at a podium in March, 2024.

Biden’s State of the Union: Hyper-Nationalism and Eroding Legitimacy

President Biden’s hyper-nationalistic State of the Union speech focused on selling himself as a defender of democracy at home and abroad. But it’s not enough to solve his — and the whole U.S. regime’s — crisis of legitimacy.

Tatiana Cozzarelli

March 14, 2024

Super Tuesday Confirms Trump, Biden Faceoff in November

As predicted, Biden and Trump won big on Super Tuesday, all but guaranteeing their nominations. However, even these primary results show a presidential campaign marked with contradictions.

Tristan Taylor

March 7, 2024

MOST RECENT

Declaration: End Imperialist Intervention in Haiti, Solidarity with the Haitian People

The “Multinational Security Support Mission” announced by the United States marks a new imperialist-colonial intervention in Haiti by the United States, the UN, and their allies.

“Poor Things” Floats Like a Butterfly and Stings Like a Butterfly

Poor Things is a fantastical comedy with beautiful set design and costumes and an Oscar-winning performance from Emma Stone. So why did it leave me feeling so empty? Despite juggling feminist and socialist ideas, the film is ideologically muddled and often self-contradictory.

Basil Rozlaban

March 16, 2024

Berlin Police Attack an Anti-Imperialist Feminist Demonstration on March 8

On International Women's Day, there were numerous demonstrations in Berlin, including: a union demonstration, an anti-imperialist demonstration, and a supposedly "leftist" demonstration in solidarity with Israel. As you would expect, police only attacked one of the three.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 14, 2024

At a Meeting in Paris, 1,200 People Put Revolution Back on the Agenda

Last Wednesday, 1,200 people attended a meeting of Révolution Permanente, the sister site of Left Voice in France. The group has been playing an important role in the fight against neoliberal reforms and the Far Right, while showing that a world beyond capitalism is more possible than ever.

Feargal McGovern

March 12, 2024