Twenty Twenty Protests
The only political conflict that I’ve ever photographed was the George Floyd protests during the turbulent summer of 2020. Like most other people, I was jobless, reeling from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and then mortified by the murder of George Floyd. In May, 2020, the culmination of those feelings came to a peak when people started rioting in Philadelphia and across the nation. Over the course of June, I regularly biked into Center City to witness the unrest, and show my solidarity. On one of the first days of documenting this conflict, I saw a group of people rising up to tear down the Frank Rizzo statue in Philadelphia. I learned about the controversial former mayor and police commissioner in Let the Fire Burn (2013), a documentary about the 1985 standoff between the black liberation group, MOVE, and the Philadelphia Police Department. The fraught relationship between the black community and the police has a long history in Philadelphia, and it was significant for a new generation to take a stand against a racist monument.
I shared the image, The Defacing of the Frank Rizzo Statue, Philadelphia (2020), and it spread quickly. The curator, Meg Onli, called me and said that the image inspired her to start the Art for Philadelphia Bail Fund. She asked if a print of the image could be included along with works from other artists to help raise money in response to the uprisings. Prints in editions of 20 were sold until July 4 in an effort to support the Black Lives Matter movement. I felt honored to show support alongside a group of prominent artists, and to find a useful way to distribute my work. Most importantly, that experience left me with an important reckoning on the history of this country.
List of Works
1. The Defacing of the Frank Rizzo Statue, Philadelphia, 2020
2. Face-off, Philadelphia, 2020
3. George Floyd Protest, Philadelphia, 2020
4. Masked socialist, Philadelphia, 2020
5. Soldier and girl with a rose,
Philadelphia, 2020
6. Screaming, Philadelphia, 2020
7. Passing burnt car, Philadelphia, 2020
8. Protesters on Market St., Philadelphia, 2020
9. Protesters on JFK Blvd., Philadelphia, 2020
10. Stop being racist, Philadelphia, 2020
11. Bangladesh Trump Supporter with flag, Philadelphia, 2020
12. Pride flag, Philadelphia, 2020
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13. Two police and a pig mask,
Philadelphia, 2020
14. Black cop, Philadelphia, 2020
15. Postester biking amongst cops biking, Philadelphia, 2020
16. Black man with family in Malcolm X Park, Philadelphia, 2020
17. Women in Malcolm X Park on Juneteenth, Philadelphia, 2020
18. Protest at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 2020
19. Young protester with his hand on his chest, Philadelphia, 2020
20. Protester and cop at Municipal Building, Philadelphia, 2020