AGAINST RACISM COVER IMAGES: Céline Mavrot, Yann Vincze
Hollywood, McDonald’s and Black Lives Matter: The Decrepit Face of the American Dream
Pastel-colored Hollywoodian stucco palaces and the glaring signs of outlets that have become the dated symbols of an out-of-breath global liberalism. The Scientology billboard in the background against the bright blue sky and the palm trees only adds to the irony of the picture. In spring 2020, after three months of an unprecedented international shutdown, the media spotlight has suddenly shifted subjects. Crowds of protestors are reclaiming the streets to denounce the systemic, institutional, structural racism that has plagued America throughout its history. “No Justice, No Peace.”
In early June, at the peak of the protests—and as in many states across the United States—the Democrat authorities of California immediately react by imposing curfews, deploying the National Guard, and sending dozens of surveillance helicopters to closely watch the demonstrations all over the city. The announcement of the state of emergency in Los Angeles County by the governor echoes oddly: “The National Guard will arrive in the city in seven hours”. The armed soldiers are stationed in front of sensitive places that symbolize the establishment, which here include the City Hall as well as Starbucks stores. The militarized answer of the authorities to a movement opposing police violence creates a deeply troubling atmosphere. The mode of protest is grave and determined, as the marchers stop for hundreds to put a knee on the ground for the duration of the eight minutes and forty-six seconds that a murder lasts.
Céline Mavrot, Yann Vincze
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