Philando Castile's family, friends to hold candlelight vigil on anniversary of his death

By Greg Stanley Star Tribune

Two years later, the makeshift crosses and hand-painted signs still line the small lot where Philando Castile was pulled over by a police officer and quickly shot and killed.

On Friday, the night of the second anniversary of his death, Castile’s family and friends will hold a candlelight vigil in Minnesota among the homespun monuments on the quiet corner near the northern entrance to the State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.

That vigil will be followed Saturday with a community barbecue organized by the Castile family, to be held at City Hall on Larpenteur Avenue, less than a mile west of the shooting site.

Organizers hope the commemorations will bring some peace and solace while encouraging people to meet and talk with one another.

“My son brought people together last year at this unity picnic right here on these grounds,” Castile’s mother, Valerie, told the City Council. “So many people of different walks of life came and danced and celebrated together. My son is moving mountains and even through this horrific event, he’s making people come together.”

Source: Star Tribune