The question comes after the shooting death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on Saturday. The unarmed 18-year-old was about to begin college when he was killed by a police officer. But the mainstream media shows a picture of Brown flashing a peace sign, which Yesha Callahan at The Root says has been called a "gang sign" by conservative outlets. She calls this the "Trayvon Martin effect."
If you died, which picture would the media use?#IfTheyGunnedMeDown #MikeBrown http://t.co/lJMM9a0owk pic.twitter.com/YYxIbPB0xA"The vicious slaying of Mike Brown by Ferguson, Mo., police has once again shown that the narrative the media paints surrounding black people in America more often than not includes depicting us as violent thugs with gang and drug affiliations," Callahan wrote.
- The Root (@TheRoot) August 11, 2014
So young African-Americans took to Twitter and Tumblr and other social media, posting contrasting pictures of themselves ‒ a wholesome image of themselves in a military uniform, for instance, juxtaposed with a more tawdry one, such as holding up their middle fingers and snarling ‒ and using the trending hashtag. The meme asks which photo the mainstream media would use if the picture's subject were gunned down by police (like Brown) or by a non-African-American (like Martin).
Yes let's do that: Which photo does the media use if the police shot me down?#IfTheyGunnedMeDown pic.twitter.com/Ng0pUlxWhrWould the media use the picture of them at their best? Or the one of them that might garner less sympathy? Would their picture help portray them as victim of police brutality or as a thug the cops were right to be wary of?
- YoungGifted&Black✊ (@CJ_musick_lawya) August 10, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown today what picture would you use America? Where is the justice. pic.twitter.com/birjvOrjzNJournalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted that the campaign "is a brilliant and powerful use of social media."
- Quinton Jones (@QDOTjones) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown what pic will the media use ? pic.twitter.com/zS6rcdQEZf"#IfTheyGunnedMeDown isn't just demanding that people... see past clothing. It's questioning if it's possible for people, especially young black men, to live their lives online without worry that an innocent photo of them gettin' gully at a party will somehow become re-appropriated as evidence of black thuggery," the Washington Post's Morning Mix wrote.
- #3Hunndunn (@GrindHard_vash) August 12, 2014
"The hashtag asks if black teens have the same right as others to make mistakes - to do dumb things and post about it on Facebook or clown around with their friends - without becoming branded in perpetuity."
This makes the hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown so powerful. It's sad that some people have taken it to another level. pic.twitter.com/oZnLDRRDhNTime called the meta-protest "a simple, ingenious DIY form of media criticism: direct, powerful, and meaningful on many levels."
- Sammie. ™ (@LordSWVP) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown would I be labeled an honor grad or a blunt smokah pic.twitter.com/BCaRqMCMn8Yet social media has also negatively impacted the tensions in Ferguson, where riots and looting broke out Sunday and Monday nights. On Tuesday, authorities announced they would delay releasing the identity of the police officer who shot Brown, citing threats against the cop on social media.
- (@TopFlightRod) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown They would probably forget to mention anything positive. pic.twitter.com/94MR3nHnqdFerguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson had said he would reveal the officer's name by noon Tuesday. Police department spokesman Timothy Zoll said because of the threats there is now no timetable for release of the name, USA Today reported.
- Nichole Davis ✌️ (@NsDavis01) August 10, 2014
Authorities have not released the race of the officer, but at least one witness said the policeman was white. The shooter was placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which the FBI has joined. The police chief did release some information, however. The officer involved has been on the force for about six years, and was on a routine patrol when the interaction with Brown began, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.
Jackson said the Ferguson police force is made up of 53 officers, only three of whom are African-American. He added that the city has had trouble recruiting and retaining black officers.
Following two nights of violence, tensions have eased on Tuesday, with a large crowd milling through the city, seemingly aimlessly, according to tweets by KSDK's Casey Nolen.
At a prayer vigil at Christ the King Church, Gov. Jay Nixon (D-Mo.) called for justice and peace.
Gov. Nixon speaks to crowd at Christ the King church. Calls for Justice and Peace. pic.twitter.com/XIq8TStIq7
- Tony Chambers (@tonychambers) August 13, 2014
Peace sign is a gang symbol? Lmfao!! Sure, I show a gang sign to every other biker I see on the road. That falls under the GFY clause in life if they truly believe this shit.
Curious? What is it that makes the citizens do nothing in the face of a police state being implemented? Every media source has the same abusive crap by pigs.
This is the part where your second amendment (correct me if its the wrong bit) allows you to keep weapons in order to prevent an oppressive government from staying in power. Its your country, just keep it south of the border and everyone is happy....well...we are.