Governor’s Mansion vigils define much of summer

Crowds at the Governor’s Mansion highlight race issues close to home after Philando Castile’s death

STANDING UP, SPEAKING OUT. Black Lives Matter supporters gathered around the Govenor’s mansion on July 17 2016 as a demonstration in response to Philando Castile’s death by a police officer.

Flickr CC Photo: Fibonacci Blue

STANDING UP, SPEAKING OUT. Black Lives Matter supporters gathered around the Govenor’s mansion on July 17 2016 as a demonstration in response to Philando Castile’s death by a police officer.

The shooting of 32-year-old Philando Castile by St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez on July 6 prompted family, friends and entire communities to gather outside Governor Mark Dayton’s residence on Summit Avenue.

“The first few nights, it was community leaders talking [and] people running [the vigils],” junior Ava Sigg said. “There were other times when songs were playing…during the day, a few days into it, people would dance a lot—it was kind of light-hearted. Towards the night-time, it [got] more intense,” she said.

St. Paul Public Schools, where Castile was employed as a cafeteria supervisor, issued a statement on July 7 sharing the condolences of colleagues, as reported by NPR.

“They were right outside my house,” junior Ava Sigg said. “I live really close to the Governor’s mansion so my streets were blocked…for a few weeks. I also attended [the vigils] often.”

On July 14 the family held a procession, funeral and reception to honor Castile.  Congressman Keith Ellison, Governor Mark Dayton, and Lt. Governor Tina Smith attended the event, according to the StarTribune.

Castile supporters remained for 12 days before being asked by the St. Paul Police to disperse and clear the area surrounding the Governor’s residence. Summit Avenue was cleared and opened  but the vigil didn’t end on July 18. Instead, people took residence on the sidewalks.

“There was something similar outside the Minneapolis Precinct [for] Jamar Clark, but…this one was a lot more central, so I feel like more people came, [and] it got the attention of more people,” Sigg said.

“People just drove past it; even though [some] complained about there being an inconvenience… it still got the attention of those people,” she said.

“It’s also a very white community by the governor’s mansion, that just [gives it] a different vibe,” she said.

“One time when I went, [juniors] Amina [Smaller], Sophia [Rose] and I brought sandwiches we made. We brought chips and water and stuff a few times because they had a lot of food there to help,” Sigg said.

“A lot of people were staying, so they set up port-a-potties…so the people didn’t have to leave, [they also] had tents,” she said.

Between the evening of July 26 and the early morning of the 27th, nearly 70 individuals were arrested with charges including public nuisance, disorderly conduct, and unlawful assembly when protesters returned to the streets, and gained volume at nearly 2:30 a.m. as reported by the StarTribune.

Nearly a month later, on Aug. 29, the StarTribune reported that a vigil in honor of Philando Castile near the state fair had disrupted traffic temporarily. Also according to the StarTribune, the day of Castile’s burial in his hometown St. Louis, Missouri, brought together a protest where Castile was shot, resulting in the closing of the main State Fair gates on Sept. 3.

Vigils around the Twin Cities continue to be held in Castile’s name.