Jesse Jackson rallies protesters in St. Paul
The Rev. Jesse Jackson rallied protesters at the governor's residence Friday during a surprise visit.
The longtime civil rights activist was in the Twin Cities to support the family of Philando Castile, the St. Paul man shot and killed Wednesday by a St. Anthony police officer.
He condemned the police killing of Castile and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, as well as the sniper attacks that left five Dallas police officers dead Thursday.
Jackson led the crowd of more than 100 in a series of call-and-response chants, saying, "I am somebody. We all matter. And we'll march into the sunset together as a family. We'll hold on to the rope of hope. Hold on to the rope of hope."
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He also met with Gov. Mark Dayton, and with Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds.
Jackson said he talked to Dayton "about ways to build bridges and close gaps."
He said he wanted to encourage Reynolds and help her and her child get access to resources they may need to recover from the trauma of witnessing the shooting.
He also called for a national conference on violence and poverty to curb widespread shootings.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.