Honoring the life of Philando Castile 10 years after his killing
- Harry Colbert, Jr.
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
For most of the world July 6 of 2016 was just another day – for most of the world.
But for Valerie Castile, it was one she remembers daily, yet one she wishes she could forget. It was the day her son was taken from this earth – shot five times for having both a broken taillight and a “wide-set nose.”
But 10 years later, the legacy of Philando Castile lives on.
It was a relatively calm Wednesday evening in Falcon Heights when Philando Castile was driving with his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter. A St. Anthony cruiser pulled up behind them and with lights flashing, signaled for the vehicle to pull over. Philando Castile did so – as he had done some 50-plus times before. But unlike the ridiculously absurd number of times before, this time Philando Castile wouldn’t drive away. This time he was killed by then St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez. Yanez shot seven times into the car as Philando Castile reached to offer his ID and insurance – and possibly for his conceal carry permit. Just before he was shot, Philando Castile voluntarily offered to Yanez that he had a handgun in the car.
By offering without being asked that a legally possessed gun was in the car, Valerie Castile said her son was doing what he had always done – what he thought was right.
“My son was a good guy, he did everything the right way,” said Valerie Castile. “He was my go-to person. He was my friend … he was my son.”
Valerie Castile conducted the interview with Power 104.7 FM wearing a shirt that read “Philando” and in a room dedicated to her son where photos of him populated all the walls. Her son was her purpose before his killing and preserving his legacy has been her mission ever since.
Valerie Castile created the Philando Castile Relief Foundation, which serves to assist those experiencing food insecurities. In 2023, the foundation raised more than $200,000 to pay off school lunch debts as a tribute to her son. Philando Castile, who worked more than 15 years in food services at St. Paul Public Schools, was known to pay for students’ lunches out of his own pocket. Valerie Castile has also become a frontline activist advocating for police reform and social justice.
“My life changed significantly. This is not how I envisioned the rest of my life – being a community advocate. This is a whole new concept of giving for me,” said Valerie Castile. “The easiest thing I could have done was absolutely nothing (after her son was killed), but that’s not what God had in store for me. Everybody’s got a mission. It took the (killing) of my son to figure out my mission.”
The killing of Philando Castile changed the life of Ramsey County Attorney John Choi as well.
“I’m a different person. That case changed me – for the better,” said Choi.
The case he’s referring to is the murder trial of Yanez, who was charged with third degree murder for killing Philando Castile. According to Choi, it was the first time in the state’s history an on-duty officer was charged with murder. The jury would return a not guilty verdict, but that was just another chapter in the story, not the end.
The reason given for Philando Castile’s stop was because Yanez said the “wide-set nose” of Castile matched the description of a suspect in a robbery. That’s not enough for a probable cause stop, but the middle brake light on Philando Castile’s car was out, so that was all Yanez needed.
“One of the things that always sticks with me is the fact that it (the killing) didn’t need to happen,” said Choi. “Clearly he (Yanez) couldn’t pull (Philando Castile) over because of his nose, but because his third taillight was out, that was enough … We all know what happened next.”
Choi said the tactic of using non-moving violations as a pretext for stops to uncover some other crime has caused irreparable harm to communities of color across the nation.
“That tactic is something police are trained to do,” said Choi. “And you’ll find study after study that this type of policing is ineffective. Only about 2% result in (finding) contraband."
Choi, along with Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, determined they would no longer prosecute crimes stemming from such non-moving violations.
“It was the most controversial things I’ve done,” said Choi.
In the metro east, the police departments of St. Paul, Roseville and Maplewood agreed to no longer conduct such stops. Now, in the county, according to Choi, 95% of all stops in Ramsey County are for moving violations, whereas before they accounted for 25%. According to a study from the Justice Innovation Lab, Black drivers experienced the largest decrease in non-public-safety traffic stops per capita, down 66% in the year following the change.
The Ramsey County Attorney said data shows the policy has had no negative effects on violent crime, and pointed to statistics that violent crime is down in the metro east.
Valerie Castile said the work being done by her and others to improve police/community relations took steps in the wrong direction this past January with the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both killed by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge. She said each killing brought up old emotions of the killing of her son.
“Renee was seatbelted in her car, just like my son. Alex was legally carrying a gun, just like my son,” said Valerie Castile.
A vigil takes place tonight at 8:35 p.m. at Larpenteur (Philando Castile Memorial Avenue) and Fry Avenue. The time and location are specific as that is the time and place where Philando Castile was killed. Tomorrow at Falcon Heights City Hall there will be a Unity Day healing celebration beginning at 5 p.m. Food will be provided.
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