Logos- Police Brutality

Although the two images were taken around 50 years apart, those depicted in the photographs struggle with very similar issues.  Police brutality against African Americans was one of the most debated topics of the 1960's, and it remains extremely relevant today.  While many of the same deeply rooted issues of race are involved in both of these pictures, they also depict very different responses to those issues.  The Watts riots of 1965 were the worst riots in the history of Los Angeles, with 34 killed, around 1,000 injured, and incredible damage to the neighborhood.  The riots were a direct response to an instance of police brutality.  African Americans were used to being unjustly targeted, arrested, and beaten by the police, and the riots were a clearly a response from a group of people who felt helpless.  Today, many black people across the country feel a similar helplessness, as there is still a complete lack of accountability for police who unjustly harm black people. The first picture shows a violent, disorganized response to the issues of police violence and racism.  Among the chaos and destruction, two men take advantage of the situation and steal lamps from a local store.  Such destruction and theft may be wrong, but it is certainly understandable when coming from a group of people who have been pushed too far by being mistreated by white police officers who have all of the power.  The present day image comes from the black lives matter movement.  The movement is a peaceful, and more powerful response to the exact same issue.  A black woman holds up a sign saying "Am I next?" showing the world the fear which has been instilled in black people across the country in response to the many instances of police violence we have seen.  The images together show very different responses to the helplessness and fear which has been caused by police brutality and police shootings from the 1960's to the present day.