Protesting through Design

Weeks before the Ferguson grand jury handed down their verdict, students in my graphic design class chose police brutality as their topic for a social awareness project. It was interesting and disturbing to see some of the facts that unfolded as they presented their research and drafts. When the grand jury decided not to indict in the Eric Garner case a few weeks later, we watched as their chosen topic became even hotter. We watched as people reacted with incredulity and horror. We watched as our small exhibit of the class’ posters stirred up controversy—creating heated conversations among those who loved the work and those who felt it was too one-sided.People are getting swept up in emotional outrage and are taking to the streets, marching on Washington, blocking traffic, and staging protests and die-ins against what they feel has been a serious injustice. Many echo the thoughts of Russell Simmons, who stated during a recent CNN interview that in over 150,000 cases that came before a grand jury, only 11 chose not to indict. The lack of indictments in these two most recent cases seems unbelievably one-sided.At times like this it’s important to look at the facts and the big picture. When doing so, we may become even more outraged.You can view more art from artists around the world protesting against the Ferguson verdict:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/05/ferguson-art_n_6257340.htmlSources:http://www.occupy.com/article/millions-march-december-13-anger-over-police-violence-sweeps-nationhttp://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/us/police-slayings-reaction-roundup/