
This photograph of a African American boy coming forth with a peace offering to the officers guarding the Baltimore Riots in 2015. The murder of Freddie Gray, which started the Baltimore Riots, plus a few other police brutality cases influenced the start of the Black Lives Matter Movement, (BLMM.) The movement has been portrayed and mistaken as violent and anti-police based on the actions of a few of the movement's supporters. This picture helps clear the air of the negative feelings society might have towards the BLMM. Instead, it sends a positive and peaceful message. The boy was seemingly a part of the crowd of protestors and restores a bit of hope in the mending of the relationship between civilian and officer. Showing such a caring and soft side of this young boy in the midst of complete chaos causes the reader to become more sympathetic and possibly changes their perspective of both the protestors and cops.

On April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray, a twenty-five-year-old black man, was arrested for unknown allegations after supposedly being profiled by cops. Unfortunately, on his ride to the police station, Gray faced injuries to his neck and spine and fell into a coma, dying a week later. As of December 31, 2015, there are 1,205 reported deaths caused by police officers. Because of all the police brutality cases and deaths, civilians all across the country became agitated and fed up with the nonsense. Clearly, the Freddie Gray case happened to be their breaking point. Protests were originally peaceful but eventually turned violent with rocks being thrown at policemen and stores being looted. The majority of the protestors seemed to be African American and angry. Many news reports only seemed to show the negative results of the riots but there were a few events that restored hope for this broken city. A young boy's act of kindness showed the police that he was aware that they are not all bad people. Most people were so overwhelmed with anger, they did not take time out to realize that the police who had nothing to do with the crime we're feeling just about all the same emotions as the rest of the community. What really stood out in this photo was that this little boy is black. The black community has started a variety of different movements to express their demands and what they believe in. Often, these movements are misinterpreted and seen as threatening or anti-police groups and seen as angry. Although these protestors in Baltimore were very angry, this anger stemmed from hurt and fear from losing their loved ones to police brutality. This picture, released in the midst of complete chaos, sent a wave of reality through America. The entire community is suffering and instead of fighting each other, a peaceful approach could mend all of it.

At first glance, the first thing you notice in the photo is the facial expressions of both the cop and the young boy. The little boy looks confident and brave, showing the world that he is not afraid of police even after this tragic incident. This causes the person viewing the picture to remember that the cops are normal people and that they should not be generalized due to the mistake of a few of them. The surprised look the cop has makes the reader feel sympathetic for the cop. They are paying for what one person did and even though everyone is angry, one person showing a caring side to them was surprising. The purpose of this image is to spread a sense of positivity and peace in rough times.  This riot was only one of the few that have occurred due to police brutality in 2015 and each progressively got more and more violent each time. 

Restoration is the major theme in this picture. Although this city was devastated and mourning, some still found it in their heart to be good people and still do good by these officers. The first step in fixing a problem is to acknowledge what caused it. Obviously if the relationship between civilian and officers was healthier, some of the chaos will come to an end. Our society tends to follow trends, what is popular will be followed by majority of the population. Showing these two completely different people being cordial, and helping one another is intended to be blown up through the media and have others follow in one's footsteps. 

Violent reactions didn't seem to help the city of Baltimore prosper after the tragic death of a local Freddie Gray. Media complained about the rioters being "thugs" and "destructive," so this young boy decides to make a change. The fact that he is so young and able to make decisions shows that this hole that America has dug ourselves into can be reversed. A community should not have to be violent to get what they want, same as an officer should not have to be violent to get what they want. On a positive note, it's clear people are taking baby steps to help fix the notorious relationships between cops and civilians.

