



The visual I decided to analyze is Ferguson, Uncensored by Tim Dickenson which provides a graphic portrayal of the Missouri protest in 2014. Its purpose is to contribute to the overall theme of racial injustice and tension within a community, while relating the elements to a deeper meaning thorough the amendments, raw hostility, and distress that fractured the Ferguson community. The visual is directed towards people who do not agree with violence to trigger a controversial movement. Hands Up, Don’t Shoot movement rallied thousands of citizens in protest of racism and police brutality which has become a much larger problem since the 2014 death of Michael Brown. 

Ferguson, Uncensored sparked a light of controversy where police have trampled the first amendment freedoms of protestors. The United States Constitution ensures that there is no prohibition on the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, right to peacefully assemble, or prohibition of petition. The Constitution states all these things yet when people peacefully protest they are stopped with force or ended with police raids. They are unable to express their opinions and aren’t given the opportunity to demonstrate their rights as citizens in the United States. Police have tried to stopped journalist from doing their job, reporting Ferguson. Photos and information are withheld and the trampling of our right to freedom of press, no one should be able to tell the media they cannot know about an incident because they don’t want to make law enforcement seem like they have done nothing when in fact they are part of the problem.

“Actions speak louder than words” dates all the way back to 1856 when Abraham Lincoln was president. This little phrase we are taught from the day we are young enough to understand it simplistic and pure meaning. The raw hostility of the whole event is shown after the shooting of Michael Brown that happened in broad daylight through police brutality of the protestors. As far as the actual investigation goes following this tragedy little to no evidence from the scene had been taking, Officer Wilson (the man behind the gun) claims to have “known he was in “hostile environment (ATTN).” Yet when you look at the case the weapon was left with the officer for a while after. “They also didn’t take any measurements of where everything was because “there was no need to.” As a result , we have no facts about the crime scene itself and no ability to question evidence of the distance Wilson claims had affected his judgement in releasing two burst of bullets (ATTN).” This alone is evidence that the crime scene was less than taken care of, if anything it was almost treated as a joke. No family should have to read these articles and see the horrific images, the thing that really hits home is people are now being threatened for protesting over this. In Ferguson, Uncensored you can evidently see the one man with his hands in the air while being approached by a swarm of fully armed guards. 

Distress within the community contributed to the overall theme by creating fear for the predominately African American town. Martin Luther King Junior has said his famous I have a dream speech, “I have a dream, that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character (King).” The goal of the overall protest and Kings motivation for his speech is to have equality for all and a decrease in racial injustice.  Citizen should not have to fear everyday they walk out their doors, they shouldn’t have to worry that they may be physically harmed for voicing their opinions. Community members shouldn’t be met with violence or police force when fly their flags or walk down the streets demonstrating the protest for the loss of Brown.

In conclusion the protest in Missouri has been whitewashed by police in order to make the events seem like Officer Wilson is not at fault as was only “protecting” himself in the scenario where he shot and killed Michael Brown. Within the Ferguson town boundaries amendments have been shielded from the community, hostility has been shown towards its members, and distress within the entire town has contributed to the overall theme of social injustice. 




