Police brutality is once again at the forefront of the nation's discourse, with the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile raising questions old and new about law enforcement's efforts at reform. Many have spoken out against the deaths of these two black men, pleading for unity behind #BlackLivesMatter and other anti-police brutality activism groups. On Friday, Kim Kardashian shared an open letter in response to Sterling and Castile's deaths, calling for young people to turn hashtags into action.
"This week we watched Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two innocent black men, get senselessly murdered by police officers," Kim said. "Like a lot of you guys, I watched the videos, and was appalled and completely heartbroken. I was left speechless, angry and numb." Kim then mentioned her own children, North and Saint, worried that police will not protect and serve them with the same care given to white citizens.
"The last thing we need is to fuel anger with more hate or violence, especially toward the many incredible police officers who risk their lives every single day to protect our families and communities," Kim said. "We must peacefully use the power of our voices and the strength of our numbers to demand changes in the judicial system so that brutality doesn't ever go unpunished."
Urging fellow Americans to "do something NOW," Kim closed with mentions of other victims of police brutality before linking readers to the #BlackLivesMatter website and a database of legislators:
Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Sean Bell … and unfortunately so many more.
Other celebrities have also spoken out against the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, many expressing solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement:
Read Kim's full post here.
