Photograph by
Oliver, Tommy, American, born 1984
Subject of
Unidentified Man or Men
Culver City Police Department, American, founded 1917
Floyd, George Perry Jr., American, 1973 - 2020
Date
May 31, 2020
Medium
digital
Dimensions
H x W: 4480 pixels × 6720 pixels
File size: 172.29 MB
Caption
Photographer Tommy Oliver is an award-winning producer and cinematographer in television and film. Best known for his 2020 documentary 40 Years a Prisoner on HBO, his docuseries Black Love (2017–2020) on OWN, and his feature film The Perfect Guy (2015), Oliver challenges audiences to question their assumptions about race, gender, and family. The film Kinyarwanda (2011), which Oliver co-produced, weaves together narratives of resilience during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It won the Sundance Film Festival’s award for World Cinema Drama and was recognized as one of the top 10 films of 2011. This photograph is part of a broader portfolio of images taken during Black Lives Matter rallies in Los Angeles between May 31 and June 14, 2020.
Description
A digital, black-and-white image of a police officer at a Black Lives Matter protest on Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California. The image was taken by Tommy Oliver during the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. It is a close-up of a police officer wearing a helmet with a visor. The officer is depicted from the chest up, looking directly at the viewer. He dominates the right side of the image. He is wearing a dark uniform shirt, a riot helmet with a chip strap and a visor that has been lowered to protect his eyes. The visor is covered with a powdery substance. There is a partially visible patch on his shirt, over his proper right bicep, and an oval-shaped patch over his proper left chest. The patch on his proper right arm depicts the seal of Culver City, California with a banner across the center that reads [HEART OF SCREENLAND]. The patch over his chest is light tone with a seal at the center and text above and below that reads [CULVER CIT[Y?]] and [POLIC[E?]]. The left half of the image is a blurred line of police officers with their backs to the viewer, a motorcycle, and a crowd of protesters. In the distant background is a blurred building and a line of blurred trees.
Place captured
Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Movement
Black Lives Matter
Type
digital images
digital media - born digital
Topic
Activism
Justice
Photography
Police brutality
Race relations
Resistance
U.S. History, 2001-
Urban life
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Tommy and Codie Oliver
Object number
2021.31.7
Restrictions & Rights
© Tommy Oliver
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e7d560fc-78f8-4f17-96a7-354f6c74ba9f

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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