Letter: blame "welfare culture" for death of black guy who worked for same employer since 2002

You'd never learn this from Michael R. Ross's letter to the editors of the Fargo Forum, The problem is a welfare culture, not racism, but the late Philando Castile, 32, worked for the same employer, the St. Paul Public school system, since he was 19.

Jury selection is underway for the manslaughter trial of the police officer who fatally shot Castile last summer during a traffic stop last summer.

ABC News reported in Philando Castile remembered as gentle and smart after fatal US police shooting:

. . . Mr Castile's Facebook page presented the image of an easygoing man who posted numerous photos of family members.

He was promoted to his supervisory position at St Paul Public Schools two years ago, where he had been employed in the Nutrition Services Department since 2002 when he was 19.

He started working there after he graduated with honors from St Paul Central High School, where he was a straight-A student, his cousin Antonio Johnson told local media.

Mr Castile was loved by the kids at the school, a cafeteria co-worker said in a statement issued by the school.

"He was smart, over-qualified. He was quiet, respectful, and kind," the co-worker said. . .

But why look a man's life, when there's a negative stereotype about black men to pull out?

For more about Philando Castile and the traffic stop during which he was shot by a police office, now on trial for manslaughter, check out MPR's 74 Seconds podcast, which takes listeners into the school cafeteria where Castile worked.

Castile worked on the day he died, but why tell the truth when there's a stereotype to blame?

Photo: Via MPR: "Judah O'Hara, 4, a student at J.J. Hill Montessori school, holds a sign with an image of Philando Castile's face at a rally in St. Paul 10 days after Castile's death. Aaron Lavinsky | Star Tribune via AP"

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Comments

[Michael A Ross]

In This case The officer was at fault and should be convicted. The issue is Governor Dayton's contention that he was shot because he was black and a disproportional number of blacks are shot because of their race. Statistics do not support this. Shootings of young black men correlate with their rate of crime which is overwhelmingly influenced by family situations.