Beyoncé on Alton Sterling and Philando Castile deaths: 'Stop killing us'

Beyoncé is adding her voice to the chorus of people speaking out against the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
"We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our community. It's up to us to take a stand and demand that they 'stop killing us,'" reads a statement from Beyoncé posted on her website Thursday.

The shooting deaths of both men at the hands of police officers has fueled outrage over the treatment of African-Americans by law enforcement across the country.
Castile, a 34-year-old public school employee, was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in Minnesota on Wednesday. Sterling, a 37-year-old father of five, was shot and killed by officers in Louisiana a day earlier. Both incidents were captured on cell phone cameras.
"We're going to stand up as a community and fight against anyone who believes that murder or any violent action by those who are sworn in to protect us should consistently go unpunished," Beyoncé's statement continues.

The singer's website letter echos her references to police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement expressed in her 2016 album and film, "Lemonade."
Other artists addressing this week's shooting deaths include musician John Legend, "Selma" director Ava DuVernay, and "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldn't be shot by police during routine traffic stops.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) July 7, 2016
Philando Castile. Alton Sterling.
Never coming home.
Black lives matter. Not just as a hashtag, not just in all caps, in real life.
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 7, 2016
Beyoncé's statement ends with a call to action writing, "We must use our voices to contact the politicians and representatives in our districts and demand social and judicial changes."