Alton Sterling was shot by police outside of a Baton Rouge convenience store on Tuesday. In video of the incident, police are seen pushing Sterling against a car and onto the ground before pointing a gun at his chest. In addition to marking the singular tragedy of one man’s life, Sterling’s death is yet another black death resulting from a police shooting. In its wake, Drake posted a reaction on Instagram, saying he felt compelled to speak out about the pattern. He wrote: “Last night when I saw the video of Alton Sterling being killed, it left me feeling disheartened, emotional, and truly scared. I woke up this morning with a strong need to say something. It’s impossible to ignore that the relationship between black and brown communities and law enforcement remains as strained as it was decades ago. No one begins their life as a hashtag. Yet the trend of being reduced to one continues.” Drake is not the only artist to speak out about Sterling’s death. Kanye West re-shared the video, while Rihanna shared a video about the #BlackLivesMatter movement, writing, “RIP Alton Sterling 😢 #howmanymore.” Meanwhile, Issa Rae helped to create a scholarship fund for Sterling’s children, tweeting: Can we got a scholarship fund going 4 #AltonSterling’s son/kids? Some of us feel helpless when these things happen, but that’s a small step.” See their reactions and posts in full below.
