America is suffering from a crisis of race. The deaths of black men such as Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Akai Gurley, and Tamir Rice
have inflamed this instability, of course. Some argue that these men
died for reasons other than their race, that they possessed criminal
records, for instance, that necessitated forceful reactons by white
police officers. But even if these deaths did not arise from racial
considerations, the fact that they have come to encapsulate U.S. race
relations is indisputable. They highlight triumphs and traumas of black
inclusion in the U.S. that began, arguably, with the racialization of
Native Americans during the 17th century. They echo the voices of
American authors - contemporary and traditional, black and white - who
have long confronted and continue to highlight the topic with varying
degrees of agonized cries and silence.
These riots, unavoidably, are "an issue"...but they are saddening particularly because they have BEEN an issue for centuries.Tens of thousands of protesters have flocked to city streets across the country to protest the killing of black men by white police officers. Activists have launched large demonstrations particularly in Washington, D.C. and New York City with signs reading "Black Lives Matter" (#BlackLivesMatter) and "I Can't Breathe" (#ICantBreathe), echoing Eric Garner's last words. Many of these protests have proven peaceful, but increasingly participants are calling for, and actually attacking, police (such as in NYC and near UC Berkeley.
One of our IPians, Jonathan, happened to attend a protest in NYC last weekend. Exploring #photojournalism
as his topic in IP, this situation gave Jonathan the organic
opportunity to continue his research. All photos attacked to this post
are his shots of the scenes and participants he witnessed.What are your thoughts on these photos? Are these ongoing protests likely to effect change, especially as some of these devolve into violence? Please post in the comments section below.
For a brief video of the NYC protests (12/13/14), please click here.
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