Beyoncé Says Police Killings Are a 'War'

With two deadly shootings of black men at the hands of police caught on tape this week, the country is reacting with outrage, sadness, and protests. Here's how some politicians, celebrities, and others—including President Obama and Beyoncé—addressed the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana:

• Obama expressed his "anger, frustration, and grief" over the killings. “They are symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system, the racial disparities that appear across the system year after year, and the resulting lack of trust that exists between law enforcement and too many of the communities they serve," the AP quotes the president as saying.
• Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton says race absolutely played a part in Castile's death. "Would this have happened if those passengers, the driver were white?" NBC News quotes Dayton as saying. "I don't think it would have."
• Raw Story reports Beyoncé is asking for respect, not sympathy, in what she describes as a "war." “This is a human fight,” she says. “No matter your race, gender or sexual orientation. This is a fight for anyone who feels marginalized, who is struggling for freedom and human rights.”
• Shaun King at the New York Daily News writes that the killings have left America at a "boiling point." “A few hours ago my wife asked me if we could just leave the country for good. It wasn't a rhetorical question, but a serious, sobering, painful one coming from a distraught black mother of five young black children.”
• In a Facebook post, Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls for action: “I’ll never personally experience or fully understand the fear and pain that black Americans feel every day. But I also know that we can no longer ignore this ugly reality.”
• And Drake is worried about America, his "second home." “This is real and I’m concerned,” VH1 quotes the musician as saying. “Concerned for the safety of my family, my friends, and any human being that could fall victim to this pattern."

(More police shooting stories.)