These ’23 Everyday Actions’ Have Compelled Police, White Supremacists and Vigilantes to Kill Black People

By Sameer Rao Jul 07, 2016

The deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police officers remind us that for African Americans, the simplest and most-routine actions may provoke deadly racist violence. A new video from Mic lists 23 of those actions with stark simplicity.

"Sterling joins a long list of Black people in America whose seemingly mundane actions have led, inevitably, to their deaths at the hands of police, vigilantes empowered by police, or White supremacists tacitly enabled by the criminal justice system," wrote Mic writer Jamilah King in an article attached to the video yesterday (July 6).

The 23 actions correspond with notable deaths from the past two decades, with an emphasis on those from the last two years. Actions listed include "Wearing a hoodie," "Calling for help after a car accident," "Holding a fake gun in a park in Ohio" and "Attending a Bible study class." 

Watch "23 Everyday Actions Punishable by Death if You’re Black in America" above, and share your reflections in the comments.