<I>Untitled</I>
date: label: Date
content: May 31, 2020
name: label: Photograph by
content: Tommy Oliver, American, born 1984
label: Subject of
content: Unidentified Man or Men
label: Subject of
content: Unidentified Woman or Women
label: Subject of
content: George Perry Floyd Jr., American, 1973 - 2020
label: Subject of
content: Sean Reed, American, died 2020
label: Subject of
content: Ahmaud Arbery, American, 1994 - 2020
label: Subject of
content: Breonna Taylor, American, 1993 - 2020
label: Subject of
content: Ariane McCree, American, died 2019
label: Subject of
content: Santa Monica Police Department, American, founded 1897
notes: label: Caption
content: 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.
label: Description
content: A digital, black-and-white image of a police line 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 features a police line standing in front of a crowd of protesters. Three officers, one partially depicted, are standing with their backs to the viewers, facing the protesters. They are wearing dark uniforms and police protective equipment: riot helmets with face visors and tactical vests. The police officer at the center has white text printed on the back of his vest that reads [POLICE]. The police officer in the left foreground is wearing a white helmet with a black backpack. The windshield and handlebars of two motorcycles are visible between the three officers. In front of the officers, is a large, tightly packed crowd of protesters, many of whom are wearing face masks or other types of protective face coverings. Some of the protesters are holding protest signs above their heads. The cardboard sign at the center of the crowd has large, black, block text at the top that reads [BLM] with smaller text below that reads [#GEORGE FLOYD / #SEAN REED / #AMAUD[sic] ARBERY / #BREONNA TAYLOR / ARIANE MCCREE] with the last two names partially obscured by the person's hand holding the sign. A sign on the far right reads, [NO BRUTALITY / -IN MY- REALITY]. Other mostly visible signs read [SILENCE / IS / VIOLENCE] and [WHITE / SUPREMACY / = / TERRORISM]. In the background, on the left, is a building with balconies. Also visible in the background are street signs, traffic signals, and tree trunks.
place: label: Place captured
content: Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
title: label: Title
content: Photograph of a police line at a Black Lives Matter protest in Santa Monica
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: Justice
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Police brutality
label: Topic
content: Race relations
label: Topic
content: Resistance
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 2001-
label: Topic
content: Urban life
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
label: Movement
content: Black Lives Matter
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Tommy and Codie Oliver
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.31.1
objectType: label: Type
content: digital images
label: Type
content: digital media - born digital
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Tommy Oliver
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: digital
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 4480 pixels × 6720 pixels
label: Dimensions
content: File size: 172.3 MB