




The image captured by Dickinson depicts the ongoing battle between protesters and the police force in Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson, which was the powdered keg that blew up the United States’ protest frenzy against police brutality, has become the epicenter for protest motivation for movements like “Black Lives Matter,” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” Both movements have continually grown, and the image can show how the original sides reacted and responded to each other. The image gives a perspective from the protester’s standpoint. The tension between the cops and civilians is at an all-time high. The image can give a sense of what the situation was like in Ferguson.

In Ferguson, Missouri a police officer shot an eighteen-year-old male. The people believed he was innocent. But, obviously, the police officer did not think he was innocent. So, that raises the question: which side was right? Both sides of the argument leaped into action and responded to the fatal shooting. The police militarized and the people protested. Protests went on for weeks and spanned from peaceful congregations to violent battles. There was also a lot of graffiti about the situation popping up around the city as well. The picture, taken by Tim Dickinson, can capture the entire situation in one snapshot. 

The police decided to militarize. The police force walked into Ferguson in full military outfits as if they were ready for war. As depicted in the image, the police wore everything from gas masks and helmets to bulletproof vests. The police officers even wore camouflage uniforms while bearing automatic weapons with an excessive, and unneeded array of accessories for the present situation.  Was this all necessary? Don’t the police exist to protect the peace? The image gives the point of view from a civilian, so it can show a reader what they saw when the police charged into their city. The people were shocked by the army coming to suppress them, and people responded in one of three ways. They either got ready for a fight, fled, or stood their ground peacefully. The peaceful protesters stood behind the “Hands up, Don’t Shoot” motto. Meanwhile, others resorted to acts of violence to voice their opinions.

The picture contains a man with his arms raised as police officers march towards him. The image asks the onlooker to see the civilian as an innocent man that has guns pointed at him for no reason. It appears he has even responded to the usual police order of raising his hands. “Hands up, Don’t Shoot” became the motto for the protesters. It used the police's order against them. In Dickinson’s picture, a man is demonstrating the motto. This visual text can show the perspective of a protester. The civilian also has his back turned to the camera, which keeps him undetailed and anonymous. The anonymity enables the viewer to identify with him and see themselves in his situation. The image can show the viewer what the movement stands for and the harsh reality that there are innocent people in the world that are getting suppressed and even killed by the police. The man is standing still, with his hands up, innocently protesting for a cause he believes in; yet, the police still have their guns pointed at him as they march forward. This aspect of the image captures the problem with the police force’s response to all the protests. They treated all the protests the same and suppressed them. But, peaceful demonstrations have been a part of the United States’ history for a long time now. 

During the protests, areas all over the city were tagged by graffiti artists as an out lash against the militarization. On the mailbox in the image, there is graffiti that reads “Fuck The Police.” This part of the picture shows the other side of the protests. Within all the chaos in Ferguson, people protested quietly with their hands above their head; then there were those ready for a flight. People saw an army come into their city and they wanted a war. Dickinson’s angle that he took the picture at was perfect to represent the situation. The graffiti is representative of the violent protesters. Although the police officers are pointing their guns at the peaceful protester and trying to keep the situation under control, they are surrounding the symbolic violent protester and stampeding over it. The police force shut down all the violent protests immediately, but peaceful protests got caught in their crosshairs. The image is able to show how both sides of the protests were handled by the police. 

The image is representative of the entire situation that is occurring in Ferguson. The two responses of the civilians are exemplified by the one man and the mailbox. Also, how the police responded to both sides are shown in the image. The cops made their presence known to the peaceful protesters, while they crushed and triumphed over the violent protesters. The picture has each side represented. The point of view is crucial in getting the message of the image across to the reader. If the picture was taken from a different perspective, the message would be misconstrued. But, because it has representation for all the sides and their responses, it is a less bias image. The picture is also able to give a sense of the racial issues in Ferguson. Almost all the police are white, while the only civilian that is present is black and he has guns pointed at him. Tim Dickinson captured the entire issue of Ferguson in one image. The image shows the type of protests, how they were handled, the feelings of civilians, and how each side proceeded to voice their opinions. Every aspect of the picture from the stance of the police to the graffiti on the mailbox can exemplify the present issues in Ferguson; it can successfully show the event from a single viewpoint. The image is not able to answer the questions like “Which side is right?”, “Was it all necessary?” or if the police had the right to invade the city and suppress the people. But, it gives a view of the situation and allows the viewer to answer those questions for themselves.


