James Julian, Nathan Koorndyke and Issacc Walker

 

Background Information

In 1992, a man named Rodney King was arrested on charges of speeding and driving under the influence. A video of police violently beating him during his arrest was made public, and sparked outrage in Los Angeles. This resulted in riots that left over 50 people dead and damages totaling over 1 billion dollars. In April 2015, a man named Freddie Grey was arrested for possession of a switchblade. While in police custody, he suffered spinal injuries, which led to a coma and his death. This resulted in riots in the city of Baltimore that caused a state of civil unrest which included 20 police officers injured, 250 arrests, massive damage to property, and structure and vehicle fires. Schools closed, a curfew was enforced, and the city remained under a state of emergency for several days.

 

The purpose of this piece is to bring attention to the issues between the police and the African American community. The artists aim to bring attention to this tension, with the hope that one day we will be one as Americans. They are not taking sides by making this piece, just bringing the lingering issues to attention so that they can be addressed. If things do not change in the future, there will continue to be events like these that drive us as a people farther apart. There is still great tension between police and the African American community.  We can all do our part in the future to support each other and bring ourselves closer together. We need make sure we are policing our people fair and equally, and stop reacting to the mistakes of a few by destroying the property of many.