The racial climate in America has been extremely dense the past two years, and with the recent wrongful death of 25-year-old Baltimore native Freddie Gray, residents of Maryland’s largest city of Baltimore have chosen to confront the deep-seeded issue of police brutality head-on.
While anger was bubbling over in the streets of Baltimore early Monday afternoon, 26-year-old Devin Allen, a West Baltimore photographer, grabbed his camera, hit the streets, and began documenting the uprising of Baltimore’s forgotten population.
As the level of tension heightened between protesters and police, like most young people, Devin felt compelled to shared the raw yet stunning photos he captured on his personal Instagram. Soon after, Devin’s photos began appearing on mainstream media outlets like the BBC and CNN. Even pop superstar Rihanna shared his photo of a Black police officer holding back tears as he watched chaos ensue right before his eyes.
Fast forward a few days, Devin’s intense photo of a young man running from dozens of riot police is now TIME Magazine’s vol. 185, no. 17 cover. Eerily enough, the cover harkens back to images in 1968, when Baltimore erupted with fury after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
In an interview with TIME, Devin explained his motivation to document such a dark time in Baltimore.
“I know my city. With all the frustration with the city, the mayor, the economy, the pot has been boiling. I went in thinking I would show the good, the bad and the ugly. Of course, since I’m a black man, I understand the frustration, but at the same time, I’m a photographer. I’m not going to lie to you. I’m going to tell you exactly what happened. That was the goal.”
Devin took hundreds of photos documenting Baltimore’s uprising, so we decided to share some of the stunning images with you all. Enjoy. Rest in power #FreddieGray.
SOURCE: TIME | PHOTO CREDIT: TIME Magazine via Devin Allen
