Protesters across the US have taken to the streets in anger over the fatal police shooting of two black men in the space of two days.
Philando Castile, 32, was shot by police near St. Paul, Minnesota on 6 June. His girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, posted live footage of the incident on the internet afterwards. Castiles death occurred within a day of the shooting of 37-year-old Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Sterling was killed during a disagreement with two white police officers. Again, graphic footage of that incident caused an outcry on social media.
Citizens have demanded an end to police brutality in widespread protests across America. They have also called for a change in the law which would ban police from using guns on civilians.
In Dallas, what began as a peaceful protest, ended with five police officers dead and seven wounded. Dallas police chief David Brown said two snipers were involved in the attacks. It has been reported than one of the gunmen had been killed.
In response to this weeks shootings, marches and demonstrations took place outside the White House in Washington DC, New York, Louisiana and Minnesota. People of all ages, nationalities and race held banners while shouting slogans after the tragic deaths of Castile and Sterling, and earlier victims, including Freddie Gray who was killed in 2015 and Michael Brown the year before.
For everyone, Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, the two African Americans that just got killed, everyone, you know? For black people, because black lives matter and this is ridiculous and everyone is just angry, protester Mariam Gaye told Reuters.
The use of force by police against African-Americans in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore and New York has sparked periodic and sometimes violent protests in the past two years, which have spawned the Black Lives Matter movement. Anger has intensified when the officers involved in such incidents have been acquitted in trials or not charged at all.
