Police brutality has started to expand and has become a more common problem in society. The Ferguson incident is similar to a lot of police brutality incidents that happened and affected people worldwide. The Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner cases are similar to the case that is being read by the viewer. In Ferguson, MO Michael “Mike” Brown was brutally gunned down by police. Darren Wilson was the white police officer that shot and killed Brown. A grand jury decided to not indict Wilson. The people of Ferguson didn’t take the jury’s decision lightly and retaliated with riots and protests.  Tim Dickinson was a photographer who took a photo that really catches the viewer’s attention. While Dickinson’s photo creates a sense of sympathy in the viewer, what the image also reveals is that black men are not just randomly being shot by police they are physical targets of state sponsored terror.

In the photo it is raining and there is a group of black men outside at night with their hands in the air and eyes closed as if they are praying. In the photo the photographer really has his focus on one man. The man reminds the viewer of Jesus being crucified, because he has his hands in the air like they are being nailed to a cross just like the Roman soldiers did Jesus. Also, the man has his eyes closed with his head turned to the side which is similar to Jesus being crucified. This photograph shows the pain and emotional damage because the group doesn’t care about what else is going on in their life at the moment, but they care about police officers killing their people and is out of their own homes trying to get their message across. In the image the man seems harmless supposed to what the police are portraying him as which is dangerous, to be feared and not trusted. Like Christ the state has to try and validate a reason to fear this individual. In order to justify the treatment that has become standard practice. Since the state has an interest in making sure black people are portrayed as dangerous, any and every image that supports this idea is made public. For example, when police officers are asked why did they shoot, they almost always answer in the same fashion which is that they feared their life was endangered. The fear of black people is a fear that has been created over many years and the only way to change the way black men are seen is through images like this published in Rolling Stone. What this image by Dickinson does is offer an alternative perspective that black men are not the dangers that they are made out to be. What Dickinson shows in this image is a man that has his hands up and eyes closed with a calm and rested face. Dickinson shows the complete opposite of the image the police are presenting as black men. Rather than showing a man that is mad, scary, and dangerous. He shows a man that is calm, peaceful, and relaxed. 

This image makes them look humanized and to make black men not seem as dangerous that the police is trying to make it. The light in this picture is almost one of calm, there is a soft light that sits on the man’s face and creates a glow, which is cast over the entire group. This creates a feeling for the viewer a sense of calm and peace. In the image the man’s head is bowed and eyes are close which shows how tired he is. Tiredness is being shown in the picture because the man is tired of feeling like a physical target of state sponsored terror. It’s not just the since of being physically tired but also emotionally tired from being always targeted, guilty, and up to no good. Also always being seen as a danger to society. There has been a long history of being targeted as individuals who are always to blame, as a result black people are always seen as the enemy. This photo created an emotion within the viewer which is different than how the majority of black men appear to be and instead are seen as more innocent, victimized and are not the dangers they are made out to be. One of the impacts of the image is to show the community and especially police officers that black men are not as dangerous and intimidating as they are made to be. This is to help start a dialogue that can begin to change the way black men are perceived in this country and to hopefully change police and the practices that are used which are killing black men. Photos like this are the best way to begin people talking about the issue and get people to act.

An image like this has the power to bring people together and change communities for the better. This image embodies the pain of one community shown through one man. One thing to notice in the image is the different people that are present in the image. In the picture they are two different gangs in one picture. This photograph demonstrates that people can come together despite their differences. There are some issues that go beyond neighborhood, communities, and affiliations. In this image shows how people ultimately come together to fight for what is right. How society is today a person would never see rival gang members within 100 feet of each other. The image is showing that the killings are not just effecting one person, family, or friends, but impacting while communities in both negative and positive ways. The photograph is showing pain in whole neighborhoods across the country. This idea of coming together is created by the photographer taking a picture of a large group of people with a diverse range of backgrounds. Because the image shows such a range of people the viewer begins to see how they could be a part of this movement. The movement is centered around not only having policeman but the entire country to show black people the same respect as every other person in this country. The photographer has a goal of wanting to get people involved. By showing the different people who are involved in this movement other people who are not involved want to become in the movement. The purpose of this photo is to get people involved. Using an image that reveals such diversity causes the viewers to be able to find themselves in the image. The viewer can then relate to the people that the movement is centered around. A person is more likely to care about a cause when it affects them or when they can relate to it.

The power of this photograph is that it not only captures a moment it shows how black people are feeling worldwide. The photograph shows the emotions, thoughts, and impact on blacks when police kill and brutally beat them. The image shows the viewer that police brutality needs to stop and that the best way to stop such violence is to create a sense of awareness, to see black people as human and to get people involved in the fight for equality. 
