The photographs of the Ferguson, Mo. protests are absolutely stunning. And the 2015 Pulitzer Prize For Breaking News Photography rewarded the St. Louis Post-Dispatch photo staff for their outstanding results.
Hundreds of thousands of words poured across the news businesses, but photos as amazing as these catch our breath. They capture the grief, the pain, the anger, frustration, and yes even the beauty of community during this highly-charged period.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered the August 9, 2014 shooting and killing of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson and the events that followed.
The photography staff was on the ground nonstop from the beginning until Wilson’s grand jury decision in November, where it was decided?not to?indict the officer.
We see the destruction of fire and tear gas. And in spite of the unfairness of a militaristic police force, Ferguson made their demonstrations a pivotal point in police-citizen relationships.
The Ferguson protests jump-started the issue of race and police tactics throughout the country which continues still today. Police violence against unarmed victims is no longer acceptable if seen, due in part to these photographs.
The 19 photographs and supporting materials record the photographic coverage and its impact.?These visual stories of the demonstration soon went global.
Let us hope that we have turned from acceptable death and destruction to policing that protects each community.
Check out the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs here:
