Following the death of Philando Castile at the hands of police in Minnesota, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has spoken out regarding live video of the incident that was originally shared on the social platform.
Diamond Reynolds, who was in the vehicle with her 4-year-old daughter at the time of the fatal police shooting, used Facebook's live broadcasting feature to capture the tragic moments after the deadly encounter. The footage was widely shared and has since sparked protests and questions surrounding the pervasiveness of police brutality and racism across the country. Zuckerberg expressed his grief for the Castile family and others who have experienced similar tragedies.
"The images we've seen this week are graphic and heartbreaking, and they shine a light on the fear that millions of members of our community live with every day," Zuckerberg said. "While I hope we never have to see another video like Diamond's, it reminds us why coming together to build a more open and connected world is so important -- and how far we still have to go."
He did not comment on the temporary removal of the video from Facebook, which the company attributed to a glitch. As many have noted, violence against black Americans is not new, but the smart phones nearly everyone now holds in their pockets are allowing bystanders to capture police brutality on tape more easily than ever.
Reynolds herself clearly understood the power of documenting the violence when she chose to post the video to Facebook, as she told protestors Thursday. "I chose to allow the video to go live... because I wanted everybody in the world to see what the police do," she said. "It is not right. It is not acceptable. I didn't do it for pity, I didn't do it for fame, I did it so the world knows these police are not here to protect and serve us. They are here to assassinate us. They are here to kill us because we are black."
