My apologies about the late blog post.
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Please answer one of the questions from pp. 118-119 of Join the Conversation. If there are already two responses to one of the questions in the comments section, please answer another one of the questions. Example, if two students have already responded with answers to question #2, then please answer another of the 9 questions.
My answer to the first question would be to know what has happened that led up to this point in the photograph. What made the police officers assume this was the right person to arrest? The young girl is so calm and aware of who was approaching her, as if she knew they were going to assume it was her fault because of her skin color and possibly her gender. The where and when wouldn’t matter to me but the why would. If it was up to me, I would interview the police officers or the police commander to ask what real evidence did they have to approach this woman who clearly wasn’t dressed for the crime.
5. I believe this photo was taken during the height and start of Black Lives Matter, in a period of where Black Men and Women who were arrested by cops for minor/ non-violent incidents and often end up dead as a result of police brutality. (EX: Philando Castille, Sandra Bland, Kaleif Browder) This photo is iconic because it shows just how powerful Black people are, so powerful that in the presence of police officer, it took not one but 3 cops in full SWAT gear to arrest a woman, who was unarmed because she was perceived as a threat. This is very similar to Civil Rights activists like Marathon Luther King Jr. who believed in non-violent protest.
9. Gender is crucial in this image because the notion that the police officers are taking their time to approach and arrest her with plastic handcuffs is essentially very different from a black man’s arrest. This picture would more than likely have been taken with cops in front of the camera and cops charging at a black man. This is because blackness and violence have been deemed synonymous to black men. For example, gangs, but no one ever tells you black gangs like the crips, and blood originally formed because of the lack of governmental efforts in Black communities. Just like the black panthers (an original gang) and its leaders that was considered a national threat and wanted by the FBI. Her femininity makes her vulnerable and weak in the eyes of officers. Thus, not as much of a threat as a Black man.
1. I would need to know why these armed police officers are approaching the young lady. There is a whole crowd of them to the left of the picture and the lady is all by herself. You can see a few people watching in the background but there is no one else. The little text under the photo says that this is a Black Lives Matter protest, but where are the other protesters? The girl is obviously unarmed and doesn’t seem to be doing anything crazy. She is calm and collected while these men approach her. This leads to the big question: why is there so many armed men? Especially when it seems they’re trying to break a what seems to be a peaceful protest?
4. The purpose of the photograph could be interpreted in multiple ways. I know personally what strikes me most as a viewer is the clear power difference between the opposing sides. On one hand we have the protestor who is standing in a non threatening position, by herself, wearing a dress and dress shoes. Meanwhile, the police approaching her are in full combat uniform, with their arms raised and knees bent as if ready to take physical action against the women. The two officers are also backed by a whole group of other riot officers just standing feet from their position. I believe the photographers intent was to demonstrate this power difference, and show the peaceful nature of the protest, as opposed to the aggressive approach of the police. This image would only be used by supporters or advocators for the black lives matter movement, as it does not represent the police in a favorable light.
3) In height of the Black Lives Matter protests, this photograph definitely aims towards a wide range of audience on a global scale. Stemming from the unfair treatment and unwarranted arrests specifically from those of the white race to the black community, both parties serve as the primary audience. In many ways, photos like these are the fueling power behind African Americans coming together to raise awareness and the prevention of such dehumanizing behavior. This also attracts the attention of people of all races and color in the U.S. and just about anywhere in the world, who are supporters of this movement or those who are on the opposing side. It draws the attention of both parties because their identities are labeled in such a controversial issue that affects everyone.
Question #8,
When I look at this picture, I feel disgusted. Disgusted at how the police officers are treating her. They act as if she is a highly armed and dangerous subject. But in reality, she is unarmed and harmless. Her purpose, in fact, was to conduct a peaceful protest, to perhaps stand for her ideological beliefs. It wasn’t as if she stormed in with an army looking to cause mayhem, with guns blazing and stones. No matter how much try, I cannot think of a possible justification.
The photograph targets the entirety of the U.S. It aims to highlight what is going on in terms of racial inequality and what is being done to combat it. Furthermore, this photograph is strong enough to motivate those who are in a state of quiescent when it comes to practicing their civil liberties . The reason for this is because of how you see the young lady walking towards a crowd of armed officers. The lady isn’t being hurt and the officers seem to respect her right to protest. This is very important, many fear of going out to protest and practice their freedoms because of the fact that it could lead them to getting arrested or hurt.
Question #7:
With knowledge of the BLM movement, I read the image with higher pathos. There are many documented cases of unnecessarily excessive police force, particularly against African-Americans, and the photo represents this disparity. Logos also factors in for me when I see that the veritable squadron of police offers is up against a single unarmed and still woman. There can be an argument made that the photo’s contents represent the essence of the BLM movement; it’s the reason why the movement started, what the movement encapsulates, and why tensions are so fraught in the country over BLM. The pathos and logos I’ve described demonstrate how unnerving it is to watch confrontations with police officers unfold as the photo depicts. For people to be persuaded by the claim that the photo represents the groundwork of the BLM movement, they would have to understand the history behind BLM and acknowledge police offers’ use of excessive force.
4. The purpose of this image is to spread awareness for the cause “Black Lives Matter”. In this image it shows the police confronting a girl and somehow she remains calm in this situation. I think this helps represent how strongly the people that are involved in this protest feel about this cause. Even though the police are willing to use force to stop the protestors, they are not scared to step up if it is to help promote awareness. Additionally, the picture can also show the brutality of the police because it shows two riot officers fully armed confronting one girl that is unarmed. Other people can use this image to further promote awareness to show how the police are willing to use force to stop this protest.
1. One of the first things I would look for contextually from this image is the location and date. Using this, we can figure out what what going on locally and could have caused an event like the one we see in this image. The caption lets us know it was from the black lives matter movement. From this we can figure out the woman is most likely protesting black lives matter. This picture leaves us with a lot of questions as well. The photographer is really close and many people are minding their business just like the girl in the middle, and are not being arrested. Who published this image and the public reception could give us a good insight into the reaction of the public, which could change the dynamic of the photo.
6. The composition of the image is set up so that the first thing you see are the policemen dead center. This still also shows them in motion in contrast to the young woman who is standing still. I think this is significant because it shows the passivity of the young black woman speaking to act of non-resistance. I think the photographer did choose to have dress in motion however to highlight that also she is still and passive, the situation is active and volatile. Having the rest of the men cropped out of the photo might also suggest how limitless the police force are versus the singular protester being confronted.
8. This image makes me feel angry and unease. The young lady seems unarmed yet the police seems to send a whole riot squad to try to detain her. They seem to be extremely aggressive and careful while the lady shows no sign of retaliation. The lady seems calm and seems to give in to the police. It feels like she knows she did nothing wrong but she believes she will still be detained and does not try to fight it. In her face, you can see that she has given up. The environment seems entirely friendly. Even if there is a protest based on the caption, there are no riots or reason for such an extensive police force to be there. It also makes me feel unease because if this can happen to this young lady, there is no reason it would not happen to any of us who protest. The image makes me feel that she is being severely punished for no real reason but there may be more to this picture that we do not know.