Sometimes, I come across a photograph that puts all the emotions that I’m having trouble putting into words into pixels. That’s what happened when I came across an image from the No Kings protests held across the US on March 28. The photo? It depicts a protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty being arrested at a protest in Los Angeles.
The photo comes from the lens of Etienne Laurent, a photojournalist based in Los Angeles. In the image, a protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty in chains is being restrained with zip ties by police officers. More than 70 protesters were arrested in LA that day at a rally that organizers say brought more than 8 million protestors across the country.
There’s nothing technically unusual about the photo. The photographer framed the subject in the center, using a narrower aperture to blur the protestors in the background.
The reason the photograph is going viral is the symbolism that the photographer managed to capture in one frame. One Redditor called it “when political cartoons become reality.” Others described the image as “poetic,” while others described the image as a “generational shot.”
But what strikes me about this image in particular – among several images that the protestor appeared in – is not only the irony of someone dressed as the nation’s symbol for freedom being arrested. It’s that she’s smiling. The protestor, who later said that she’s been arrested four times at protests, was also photographed smiling while being led away in an image by Jill Connelly of the Associated Press.
The image is unsettling, but “unsettled” is one of many words that I could use to describe what I’m feeling as an American right now. Many of the changes over the past months feel opposite of my definition of what it means to be an American, and then I come across an image that is full of opposites. The symbol for freedom, being arrested. Someone being arrested, while smiling.
But I’m not just an American, I’m a photographer too. The photograph isn’t just a fantastic example of excellent photojournalism – it serves as a reminder that powerful photographs don’t need fancy camera tricks. Powerful photographs need a message – and the one in this photograph is clear.
Reports from the LA Times indicated that some journalists were “forcibly removed” – it’s unclear what Laurent went through to capture that photograph, but I think it’s one of the most powerful images from the No Kings protest that I’ve seen.
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For more images with powerful messages, read about why Pete Hegserth's "unflattering" images went viral.
