Anyway am sure you got the concept black Zombie watu kama nyie msiojitambua huwa nawadharau saaaana wenzako wanakula cake wewe unakula crumbs halafu unawafagilia?
Mtu mweusi auawa Marekani na askari mweupe
Mtu mweusi auawa Marekani na askari mweupe
- Thread starter RUCCI
- Start date
STUNTER
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 15, 2015
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wakowapi?
BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
- 124,769
- 288,331
Baton Rouge cop resigns after he’s caught texting desire to ‘pull a Ferguson’ on ‘n*ggers’
A police officer in Baton Rouge resigned Thursday after a local news channel revealed that he sent text messages in which he wished that fellow officers “would pull a Ferguson” on a “bunch of monkeys,” The Advocate reports.
Fifteen-year-veteran Michael Elsbury resigned on Thursday after text messages he sent to a female friend were brought to the attention of his superiors. In one message, Officer Elsbury — whose patrol included the area around the historically black Southern University — wrote that blacks are “nothing but a bunch of monkeys,” and that the “only reason they have this job is the nigger, nigger in them.” It is unclear what “job” he is referring to.
In another text, he wrote that “I wish someone would pull a Ferguson on them and take them out. I hate looking at those African monkeys at work…I enjoy arresting those thugs with their saggy pants.”
The Reverend Al Sharpton — who was in Baton Rouge Thursday evening for the Rally for Victor White III, the black man who police claim committed suicide in a police cruiser with a handgun while his hands were cuffed behind his back — called the messages “beyond frightening,” and noted that “one or two [bad cops] can make the difference between our kids spending an inordinate amount of time in jail.”
The president of the Louisiana chapter of the NAACP, Ernest Johnson, said that “there’s no place in our community or anywhere in this country for a person upholding the safety of the law to make the kinds of comments that I saw.”
“I don’t want this to end with him resigning,” he added. “I think there’s more to it than that.”
According to police spokesperson Corporal Don Coppola, Officer Elsbury is still currently the subject of a criminal investigation.
Watch the WBRZ follow-up on Elsbury’s resignation below.
A police officer in Baton Rouge resigned Thursday after a local news channel revealed that he sent text messages in which he wished that fellow officers “would pull a Ferguson” on a “bunch of monkeys,” The Advocate reports.
Fifteen-year-veteran Michael Elsbury resigned on Thursday after text messages he sent to a female friend were brought to the attention of his superiors. In one message, Officer Elsbury — whose patrol included the area around the historically black Southern University — wrote that blacks are “nothing but a bunch of monkeys,” and that the “only reason they have this job is the nigger, nigger in them.” It is unclear what “job” he is referring to.
In another text, he wrote that “I wish someone would pull a Ferguson on them and take them out. I hate looking at those African monkeys at work…I enjoy arresting those thugs with their saggy pants.”
The Reverend Al Sharpton — who was in Baton Rouge Thursday evening for the Rally for Victor White III, the black man who police claim committed suicide in a police cruiser with a handgun while his hands were cuffed behind his back — called the messages “beyond frightening,” and noted that “one or two [bad cops] can make the difference between our kids spending an inordinate amount of time in jail.”
The president of the Louisiana chapter of the NAACP, Ernest Johnson, said that “there’s no place in our community or anywhere in this country for a person upholding the safety of the law to make the kinds of comments that I saw.”
“I don’t want this to end with him resigning,” he added. “I think there’s more to it than that.”
According to police spokesperson Corporal Don Coppola, Officer Elsbury is still currently the subject of a criminal investigation.
Watch the WBRZ follow-up on Elsbury’s resignation below.
Lizarazu
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 23, 2015
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Binafsi nimependa tu hapo kwenye red..
Tukirudi hata hapa kwetu adui mkubwa tulionae wala hata hayuko mbali, yuko hapa hapa ardhi ya nyumbani.
Adui mwenyewe si mwingine bali ni kuruhusu watawala kututawala wanavyotaka bada ya kutuongoza tunavyotaka tuongozwe.
Mimi ntakuwa wa kwanza kulipinga lile li katiba pendekezwa wanalo lipigia chepuo.
Mpaka sasa hakuna kauli yoyote kutoka kwa viongozi wa Afrika. kulaani Mauaji ya watu weusi huko Marekani na Italia
BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
- 124,769
- 288,331
Hundreds arrested in protests over shootings by police - CNN.com
CNN)After another night of intense, and sometimes violent, protests against the police shootings of black men, hundreds of demonstrators were either in jail or waiting to get out as the sun came up Sunday.
At least 198 people were arrested in New York and Chicago and in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where two black men were shot to death by police. The killings were captured on cell phones and have sparked several days of protests.
Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, a public school administrator who is considered among the movement's loudest voices, was among 125 people arrested Saturday night in Baton Rouge. Mckesson was protesting the death of Alton Sterling.
On Tuesday, Sterling, 37, was near a convenience store where he regularly sold CDs and DVDs. A homeless man approached him and asked for money, becoming so persistent that Sterling showed him his gun, a source told CNN. Police were called. Cell phone videos captured two officers wrestling Sterling to the ground and shooting him.
On Saturday night, Mckesson was walking along a major roadway and live-streamed his arrest for obstruction on Saturday on Periscope.
Read More
In St. Paul, about 50 protesters were arrested. They were demonstrating against the killing of Philando Castile, a school nutrition services supervisor. Last week, Castile was driving a car and was with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, when they were pulled over for a broken taillight.
Reynolds posted a Facebook video of the incident. Castile told the officer he was armed and had a concealed carry permit, she said. The officer asked him for his license and registration and as he went to retrieve those items, the officer shot him multiple times, she explains as the recording continues, capturing the horror.
The killings have saddened and angered Americans of all racial backgrounds, and spurred thousands to march. There have been mostly peaceful demonstrations in Chicago, where three were arrested Saturday. Throngs protested in New York City, where 20 people were arrested.
Demonstrations have unfolded in cities including Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In Atlanta, a group of protesters on Friday confronted police over Interstates 75 and 85, then moved into the Midtown business district. A smaller protest was held Saturday.
Marchers also took to the streets Saturday night in Miami, with police saying Interstate 395 was shut down for a brief period. A reporter for CNN affiliate WPLG tweeted that demonstrators had blocked a major thoroughfare.
In Fort Lauderdale, a large group of Black Lives Matter supporters walked to the Broward County Courthouse and then the county jail, where prisoners heard their shouts and tapped on windows in response, WPLG reported.
Rocks, bottles fly in St. Paul
In St. Paul, however, scuffles broke out between protesters and police on Interstate 94.
<img alt="Protesters in Atlanta block a highway following the recent police shootings" class="media__image" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160708212907-atlanta-protesters-large-169.jpg">
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Protesters shut down highway 00:47
Demonstrators blocked the freeway, and threw bottles, bricks and fireworks at police, authorities said.
At least five officers were injured by protesters -- one hit with a glass bottle and another by fireworks, according to St. Paul police. One was hit on the head with a large piece of concrete, possibly dropped from a bridge, according to police.
Another officer had been hit in the head with a rock, though it is unclear the extent of the injuries. Police say a Molotov cocktail was thrown at officers.
Law enforcement used crowd-control measures, including smoke and fired marking rounds similar to paintball rounds, said police spokesman Steve Linders.
As many as 200 people forced their way past Minnesota State Patrol troopers who were trying to block them from getting on the road.
After hours of clashes, things appeared calmer and a cleanup began. Interstate 94 reopened at around 2:30 a.m. ET.
<img alt="OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 13: The hands of a black protester are seen following his arrest at a &amp;#39;Millions March&amp;#39; demonstration protesting the killing of unarmed black men by police on December 13, 2014 in Oakland, California. The march was one of many held nationwide. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)" class="media__image" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160708192534-police-conversations-large-169.jpg">
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Black families: We worry every day 01:29
In Washington, during the third night of protests, a group marched peacefully through downtown Saturday night, chanting, "We young. We strong. We marching all night on." They temporarily shut down Rock Creek Parkway.
About 400 people covered a city block as marchers moved across a large area of northwest Washington and headed toward the Georgetown neighborhood.
Officers in the line of fire
The same week Castile and were killed, a gunman killed five police officers at a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas.
Their killer was an Afghanistan war veteran, 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson from the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas.
Police searched his home and found bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics. They are analyzing information in the journal, police said in a statement.
"This was a mobile shooter who had written manifestos on how to shoot and move, shoot and move, and that's what he did," Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said.
Johnson told police negotiators that he was upset about recent police shootings, that he wanted to kill white people -- especially white officers -- and that he acted alone, authorities said.
Johnson had no criminal record or known terror ties, a law enforcement official said.
He served in the U.S. Army Reserve from March 2009 to April 2015, training as a carpentry and masonry specialist, according to Pentagon records. Johnson was deployed for about seven months in Afghanistan, from late 2013, and received an honorable discharge.
His rampage was the deadliest single incident for U.S. law enforcement since September 11, 2001. Two civilians were hurt, the mayor's office reported.
A police robot armed with a bomb killed Johnson.
Three other shootings, in Tennessee, Missouri and Georgia, have endangered police during rallies.
<img alt="Dallas police stand near the scene where four Dallas police officers were shot and killed on July 7." class="media__image" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160708090728-33-dallas-shooting-large-169.jpg">
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Cops' families: We worry every day 01:28
Black Lives Matter protesters condemned the Dallas killings, calling the attack on law enforcement a tragedy not just for those affected but also for the nation.
"Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. (Thursday's) attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman," the group said in a statement.
"To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible. We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us."
CNN's Sherisse Pham in Washington, Euan McKirdy, Faith Robinson, Joe Sutton, Kristina Sgueglia, Greg Clary, Steve Visser and Hamdi Alkhshali contributed to this report.
CNN)After another night of intense, and sometimes violent, protests against the police shootings of black men, hundreds of demonstrators were either in jail or waiting to get out as the sun came up Sunday.
At least 198 people were arrested in New York and Chicago and in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where two black men were shot to death by police. The killings were captured on cell phones and have sparked several days of protests.
Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, a public school administrator who is considered among the movement's loudest voices, was among 125 people arrested Saturday night in Baton Rouge. Mckesson was protesting the death of Alton Sterling.
On Tuesday, Sterling, 37, was near a convenience store where he regularly sold CDs and DVDs. A homeless man approached him and asked for money, becoming so persistent that Sterling showed him his gun, a source told CNN. Police were called. Cell phone videos captured two officers wrestling Sterling to the ground and shooting him.
On Saturday night, Mckesson was walking along a major roadway and live-streamed his arrest for obstruction on Saturday on Periscope.
Read More
In St. Paul, about 50 protesters were arrested. They were demonstrating against the killing of Philando Castile, a school nutrition services supervisor. Last week, Castile was driving a car and was with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, when they were pulled over for a broken taillight.
Reynolds posted a Facebook video of the incident. Castile told the officer he was armed and had a concealed carry permit, she said. The officer asked him for his license and registration and as he went to retrieve those items, the officer shot him multiple times, she explains as the recording continues, capturing the horror.
The killings have saddened and angered Americans of all racial backgrounds, and spurred thousands to march. There have been mostly peaceful demonstrations in Chicago, where three were arrested Saturday. Throngs protested in New York City, where 20 people were arrested.
Demonstrations have unfolded in cities including Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In Atlanta, a group of protesters on Friday confronted police over Interstates 75 and 85, then moved into the Midtown business district. A smaller protest was held Saturday.
Marchers also took to the streets Saturday night in Miami, with police saying Interstate 395 was shut down for a brief period. A reporter for CNN affiliate WPLG tweeted that demonstrators had blocked a major thoroughfare.
In Fort Lauderdale, a large group of Black Lives Matter supporters walked to the Broward County Courthouse and then the county jail, where prisoners heard their shouts and tapped on windows in response, WPLG reported.
Rocks, bottles fly in St. Paul
In St. Paul, however, scuffles broke out between protesters and police on Interstate 94.
<img alt="Protesters in Atlanta block a highway following the recent police shootings" class="media__image" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160708212907-atlanta-protesters-large-169.jpg">
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Protesters shut down highway
MUST WATCH
Protesters shut down highway 00:47
Demonstrators blocked the freeway, and threw bottles, bricks and fireworks at police, authorities said.
At least five officers were injured by protesters -- one hit with a glass bottle and another by fireworks, according to St. Paul police. One was hit on the head with a large piece of concrete, possibly dropped from a bridge, according to police.
Another officer had been hit in the head with a rock, though it is unclear the extent of the injuries. Police say a Molotov cocktail was thrown at officers.
Law enforcement used crowd-control measures, including smoke and fired marking rounds similar to paintball rounds, said police spokesman Steve Linders.
As many as 200 people forced their way past Minnesota State Patrol troopers who were trying to block them from getting on the road.
After hours of clashes, things appeared calmer and a cleanup began. Interstate 94 reopened at around 2:30 a.m. ET.
<img alt="OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 13: The hands of a black protester are seen following his arrest at a &amp;#39;Millions March&amp;#39; demonstration protesting the killing of unarmed black men by police on December 13, 2014 in Oakland, California. The march was one of many held nationwide. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)" class="media__image" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160708192534-police-conversations-large-169.jpg">
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Black families: We worry every day
MUST WATCH
Black families: We worry every day 01:29
In Washington, during the third night of protests, a group marched peacefully through downtown Saturday night, chanting, "We young. We strong. We marching all night on." They temporarily shut down Rock Creek Parkway.
About 400 people covered a city block as marchers moved across a large area of northwest Washington and headed toward the Georgetown neighborhood.
Officers in the line of fire
The same week Castile and were killed, a gunman killed five police officers at a Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas.
Their killer was an Afghanistan war veteran, 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson from the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas.
Police searched his home and found bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics. They are analyzing information in the journal, police said in a statement.
"This was a mobile shooter who had written manifestos on how to shoot and move, shoot and move, and that's what he did," Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said.
Johnson told police negotiators that he was upset about recent police shootings, that he wanted to kill white people -- especially white officers -- and that he acted alone, authorities said.
Johnson had no criminal record or known terror ties, a law enforcement official said.
He served in the U.S. Army Reserve from March 2009 to April 2015, training as a carpentry and masonry specialist, according to Pentagon records. Johnson was deployed for about seven months in Afghanistan, from late 2013, and received an honorable discharge.
His rampage was the deadliest single incident for U.S. law enforcement since September 11, 2001. Two civilians were hurt, the mayor's office reported.
A police robot armed with a bomb killed Johnson.
Three other shootings, in Tennessee, Missouri and Georgia, have endangered police during rallies.
<img alt="Dallas police stand near the scene where four Dallas police officers were shot and killed on July 7." class="media__image" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160708090728-33-dallas-shooting-large-169.jpg">
JUST WATCHED
Cops' families: We worry every day
MUST WATCH
Cops' families: We worry every day 01:28
Black Lives Matter protesters condemned the Dallas killings, calling the attack on law enforcement a tragedy not just for those affected but also for the nation.
"Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. (Thursday's) attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman," the group said in a statement.
"To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible. We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us."
CNN's Sherisse Pham in Washington, Euan McKirdy, Faith Robinson, Joe Sutton, Kristina Sgueglia, Greg Clary, Steve Visser and Hamdi Alkhshali contributed to this report.
BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
- 124,769
- 288,331
Dispatch Audio From Castile Killing Reveals Cop Pulled Them Over For His ‘Wide Set Nose’ (VIDEO)
Philandro Castile, the man gunned down in Minnesota for being a passenger in a car while black, was racially profiled, according to reports from KARE 11. The officers who told his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, that they were pulled over for a broken tail light was, in fact, lying through his teeth.
Apparently, the police pulled Reynolds and Castile over not for a legitimate traffic stop, but because they were…well…black. According to KARE 11:
Special: #azk41131 > a { color: red; font-weight: bold; } "Cocktail" Drink Could Finally Be The Alzheimer's Cure
A KARE 11 viewer, who gave us audio clips of police radio traffic, claims they captured the moments just before Philando Castile and his girlfriend were stopped by St. Anthony police – which ended in police shooting that killed Castile.
KARE 11 has attempted to confirm the authenticity of the recording with police officials, but so far they have not responded.
We have verified that the license plate mentioned by police in the recording matches the plate of the car Castile was driving. The location the officer gives also corresponds to the locations of the traffic stop.
“I’m going to stop a car,” the officer says on the recording. “I’m going to check IDs. I have reason to pull it over.”
“The two occupants just look like people that were involved in a robbery,” the officer says. “The driver looks more like one of our suspects, just ‘cause of the wide set nose,” the officer continues.
A minute and a half later, the recording captures the first report that there was a shooting
By now everyone has seen the video of the cop, shaking and yelling “I told him not to move” in a voice that sounds like he’s more terrified than he’s ever been. He should be. He killed a man for having a wide-set nose.
The right has already spun this into despicable headlines like “Confirmed: Philandro Castile Was An Armed Robbery Suspect” No, no he wasn’t. He was a school nutritionist in a supervisory position who was loved and respected by his peers and students alike. He was just a guy who whose second amendment rights got him killed because of “scary black man syndrome.” He was murdered in cold blood while his girlfriend and a four-year-old child watched, because he had one feature, and nothing else of note, that may have matched a robbery suspect from four days earlier.
For anyone to think they can justify it is simply ridiculous. Watch news coverage of the leaked audio below, courtesy of KARE 11:
Philandro Castile, the man gunned down in Minnesota for being a passenger in a car while black, was racially profiled, according to reports from KARE 11. The officers who told his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, that they were pulled over for a broken tail light was, in fact, lying through his teeth.
Apparently, the police pulled Reynolds and Castile over not for a legitimate traffic stop, but because they were…well…black. According to KARE 11:
Special: #azk41131 > a { color: red; font-weight: bold; } "Cocktail" Drink Could Finally Be The Alzheimer's Cure
A KARE 11 viewer, who gave us audio clips of police radio traffic, claims they captured the moments just before Philando Castile and his girlfriend were stopped by St. Anthony police – which ended in police shooting that killed Castile.
KARE 11 has attempted to confirm the authenticity of the recording with police officials, but so far they have not responded.
We have verified that the license plate mentioned by police in the recording matches the plate of the car Castile was driving. The location the officer gives also corresponds to the locations of the traffic stop.
“I’m going to stop a car,” the officer says on the recording. “I’m going to check IDs. I have reason to pull it over.”
“The two occupants just look like people that were involved in a robbery,” the officer says. “The driver looks more like one of our suspects, just ‘cause of the wide set nose,” the officer continues.
A minute and a half later, the recording captures the first report that there was a shooting
By now everyone has seen the video of the cop, shaking and yelling “I told him not to move” in a voice that sounds like he’s more terrified than he’s ever been. He should be. He killed a man for having a wide-set nose.
The right has already spun this into despicable headlines like “Confirmed: Philandro Castile Was An Armed Robbery Suspect” No, no he wasn’t. He was a school nutritionist in a supervisory position who was loved and respected by his peers and students alike. He was just a guy who whose second amendment rights got him killed because of “scary black man syndrome.” He was murdered in cold blood while his girlfriend and a four-year-old child watched, because he had one feature, and nothing else of note, that may have matched a robbery suspect from four days earlier.
For anyone to think they can justify it is simply ridiculous. Watch news coverage of the leaked audio below, courtesy of KARE 11:
Wewe nyamaza kabisa...inaelekea hujasoma history ya Timbuktu, Songhai Empire na kadhalika ambazo zilikuwa zimepiga hatua kubwa ya kimaendeleo, kuliko wazungu wengi unaowasifia hapa...Pengine ni vema pia usome namna slave trade ilivyoizamisha Afrika na mtu mweusi...You have also to read a book by Walter Rodney HOW EUROPE UNDEDEVELOPED AFRICA.
mchambawima1
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 16, 2014
- 2,487
- 738
achana nae... ingekuwa vizuri akawauliza hao mabasha wake je, wakati wanaingia Africa walitukuta tumekufa na njaa? waafrika tunaharibiwa na kutojijuwa na kutoshikamana...
Lizarazu
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 23, 2015
- 6,331
- 7,885
Haya ninanyamaza lakini ni baada ya kusema yafuatayo....
alafu mimi siko hivyo kama unavyonifikiria akilini mwako, eti kuwa sijasoma historia, yaani kwa hicho nilichokiandika hapo ndio kimekufanya wewe ujiaminishe kuwa eti mimi sijasoma historia?
Mimi nilikuwa namjibu huyo aliyesema "i hate white people" wakati huo kwanzia icho kifaa tu kilichomwezesha kuandika hayo maneno kimetoka kwa hao hao white people mbali na kutumia lugha yao. Yaani ni aina flani ya unafiki kutokana na generalization aliyoifanya kwa sababu sio kweli white people wote wako kama anavyo wachukulia.
Sasa kama nilikuwa na maana hiyo, ni wapi nimekosea hadi kuonekana sijasoma historia?
Alafu unashangaza, hivi kati ya hivyo ulivyoniambia nisome ni wapi ambapo panaonesha kupinga kuwa mzungu ndio aliyekuletea modernisation?
Au hizo jamii za watimbuktu ndio zimekufanya leo hii uwe na jamiiforum?
Wewe ni mkurupukaji na ujuha tu ndio umekujaa.
Wewe mabasha wako ni akina nani? wahindi,warabu au watimbuktu?
Kufeli kwako kwenye matumizi ya lugha yenye stahaa kunanipa mashaka kuhusu malezi na mazingira uliyokulia, ninaweza kuwa namjibu mtu aliyekulia stendi ambae lugha mbovu kwake ni kama dini...!!
Kabla hujauliza maswali yako yasiokuwa na kichwa wala miguu na yasiokuwa na uhusiano hata kidogo na nilichokisema awali jifunze kwanza kuwa na taadhima mbele za watu, itakusaidia kuficha ushamba na ukosefu wa malezi bora ulionao.
BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
- 124,769
- 288,331
The photograph of Iesha Evans at a Black Lives Matter protest has become an instant classic. Art critic Jonathan Jones assesses the image’s impact, while photographer Jonathan Bachman recalls how he captured the shot
A great photograph is a moment liberated from time. If we could see what happened before and after this beautiful stillness and hear the cacophony of yells and arguments that must have filled reality’s soundtrack at a protest in Baton Rouge against the taking of black lives, the heroic stand of Iesha L Evans would just be a fragile glimpse of passing courage. It might even be entirely lost in the rush of images and noise. Instead, Reuters photographer Jonathan Bachman was able to preserve a simple human act of quiet bravery and give it an almost religious power.
It is not just that time has frozen but that, in stopping its stream, the camera has revealed a near-supernatural radiance protecting Evans, as if her goodness were a force field. The heavily armoured police officers inevitably look slightly inhuman. They may have good reason to wear such all-covering protective suits and helmets, so soon after a sniper killed five officers who were policing a protest in Dallas but, in their hi-tech riot gear, they unfortunately resemble futuristic insectoid robots, at once prosthetically dehumanised and squatly, massively, menacingly masculine.
Evans, by contrast, shows her calm, composed face and bold, straight body, protected by nothing more than a dress fluttering in the summer breeze. She is a Botticelli nymph attacked by Star Wars baddies. And yet they seem to stop, to yield, held back by something that radiates from her inner composure, her possession of the truth. In the instant that Bachman has caught for ever, the two officers appear confused, paralysed, even defeated by her decorous protest. Their bodies arch backwards, away from her, recoiling in recognition of her power. The officer nearest to the camera looks truly nonplussed, out of his depth, his meaty white hands flailing.
People have compared this confrontation between massed forces of authority and a single protester with the famous image of a man facing a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989, or the 1967 photograph of a “flower child” in front of a row of armed soldiers at the Pentagon. Yet the power of this particular image is stranger than that. It summons up supernatural forces. The goodness of Iesha Evans is radiant and that radiance can stop the police in their tracks. Her ramrod immobility not only expresses moral strength but literally gives her a superpower. (Evans’s only comment about the picture, in a Facebook post, was: “I appreciate the well wishes and love, but this is the work of God. I am a vessel!”)
A moment stilled from days of rage creates a stillness, a silence, into which we pour our belief in the human spirit. The violence cutting through the US gives way, mercifully, to an image of nonviolent heroism that recalls the righteous, from Martin Luther King to Rosa Parks. Yet is this picture popular because it expresses the truth, or because it softens it?
A group of people had come to demonstrate in front of the Baton Rouge police headquarters. They were blocking one of the lanes of traffic on the Airline Highway. That prompted this big mix of Louisiana law enforcement officers and sheriffs from surrounding parishes, as well as the Baton Rouge police department, to come out to try to clear the road.
They had successfully cleared the demonstrators off to the side, but there were some people who weren’t willing to move. So I started photographing that confrontation. I heard someone over my shoulder say: “Wow – she’s going to get arrested.” I turned around and saw this woman just standing there. I knew straight away what was happening; they were arresting her and she was making her stand.
I just got into position and was able to snap the shot. I thought it was important – the woman in the dress is posing no threat and these two male officers are coming to detain her. She didn’t say anything, she didn’t resist arrest, and the officers didn’t throw her to the ground or drag her off. It was very peaceful. I feel the photo is very representative of the peacefulness of the protests that have taken place in Baton Rouge over the past week.
As I took the image, I wasn’t thinking of any other pictures [such as Flower Power by Bernie Boston’s Vietnam protest shot or Stuart Franklin’s photo of “tank man” at Tiananmen Square]. I hardly had any time to reflect at all; as soon as I took the photo, I had to go back to my car in a parking lot to file it, using a hotspot from my phone.
From what I saw earlier in the week – people chanting “No justice, no peace” and “Hands up, don’t shoot” – this is as tense as the situation got in Baton Rouge; there was a lot going on and I was just trying to get into a good spot to document it. I shoot a lot of sports, and speed is key. You have got to keep an open eye – these things happen so quickly. There are tricks, of course, such as looking in your LCD screen to catch reflections off that. Also, Reuters sent me on a hostile-environment training course a couple of months ago and I found that incredibly useful.
I actually filed another photo first, of a woman confronting the police with her arm raised. This one followed about 30 seconds later. I got back from Baton Rouge to 54 emails and 77 text messages. But the real hero of this story is that woman; she deserves all the praise. It was super brave to just stand there and make her stand; I was just off to the side, taking a picture.
As told to Nell Frizzell
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