Back-to-back officer shootings of two black men this week have sparked cries for answers and calls for police reform — in the cities where the men were killed, and around the nation.
After Alton Sterling was fatally shot in front of a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday and Philando Castile was killed in the passenger seat of his car in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, both men became trending topics on social media.
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg called the images "graphic and heartbreaking" on his Facebook page. The shocking aftermath of Castile's death was streamed on Facebook Live by Diamond Reynolds who sat beside him.
"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," wrote Zuckerberg.
Among those expressing outrage were celebrities. Singer John Legend tweeted, "We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldn't be shot by police during routine traffic stops," while tennis pro Serena Williams asked, "When will something be done — no REALLY be done?!?!"
Meanwhile, Beyoncé on Thursday devoted the entire homepage of her website to condemning the injustices.
"This is not a plea to all police officers but toward any human being who fails to value life. The war on people of color and all minorities needs to be over. Fear is not an excuse. Hate will not win," read the message signed by the singer, which was published in all-caps white text on a black background. It included a link to contact local politicians to call for change.
Issa Rae, best known as the creator of the Youtube series "Awkward Black Girl," created a GoFundMe account to contribute to college educations for Sterling's five children. More than $300,000 was raised in just 24 hours.
Rae retweeted a link to a GoFundMe that was created for the family of Philando Castile as well.
Rapper T.I. created a powerful compilation video of unarmed black Americans who have been killed by police officers in the last few years, and pointed out how hip hop music can uplift communities in times of turmoil.
Legislators responded as well, including Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, who tweeted, "Last night, I watched the video of the shooting of Alton Sterling. To me, it looked like an execution."
