When I Googled "LA 1992 riot picture," this was the third result that showed, and the one that stuck out to me the most. There are so many different things going on in this picture that tell the various stories of those who were involved in the riots. What caught my eye immediately was the police officer. The reason why he appeared so prominent was because he's just posing there, while chaos ensues in the background. It's as if he said to the photographer: "Here, take a picture of me" and handed the photographer his camera and posed. The way he is posing is one that suggests he is some sort of hero that is protecting his city. It's ironic since in actuality, he contributed to the chaos. The gun he is holding symbolizes the excessive violence that was used, and ultimately sparked the riots. It looks out of place considering it's a gun for hunting, not one that would be found in a city.
Moving on to the background, there is a group of civilians watching as firemen fight the fires. The civilians are standing there, not knowing what to do. This represents the shock and confusion of the riots. Prior to the riots, there weren't very many similar incidents that could be compared to the riots, so people didn't know how they should act. People were so bewildered that they just stood and watched. The amount a smoke coming from the buildings is also unusual. Even in regular building fires, the amount of smoke isn't that intense, which again demonstrates the extremity of the riots. This photograph overall sums up the disorder and violence that made up the riots.
Julia San Juan
This is an incredible photograph. Truly depicts the state of mind some of the officers at the riots were in. It almost seems that the officer doesn't think that the riots were of much significance, otherwise he wouldn't have the time to have his picture taken. The picture kind of shows the lack of seriousness that the officer has towards the event. Quite astonishing, since the 1992 riots were of such historical significance.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great photo that was taken. The officer is shown facing away from the fire giving an opinion that they are trying to prevent people from coming in as they would consider it a danger. He appears as a lone soldier in the while in the far background you could see police officers talking together. I think this just proves more that he intentionally posed for the picture.
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