Hands Off: Covering a Protest in the Trump Era
It seems like there isn't much that can be done to combat this, or that you're alone in feeling affected by any of this, so it was good to be among a crowd that felt the same way.
It's been a tumultuous time to be an American with Donald Trump's second term as president. The reasons to be outraged with the administration seemingly mount by the day, whether it's tariffs, DOGE dramatically and indiscriminately slashing (and then reinstating) federal jobs, a multitude of attacks on queer and transgender Americans, and a list that I frankly could spend all day listing. It seems like there isn't much that can be done to combat this, or that you're alone in feeling affected by any of this, so it was good to be among a crowd that felt the same way.
You never know what to expect going into a protest, especially one that is particularly politically charged so I was prepared for things to potentially go dicey and was mindful of potential escape routes if they proved to be necessary. At the same time though, I wanted to embed myself without drawing too much attention for the sake of getting good photos. Judging from the photos, I think I succeeded at that.
Crowds began to gather around 12pm at Piedmont Park in Midtown but the energy was already palpable as I commuted uptown from the 404 Day parade.
Protesters exiting the Midtown MARTA station
Staging Area
Piedmont Park, Midtown
The only way you could've gotten an accurate picture of how deep the crowds went at Piedmont Park was with a drone. It seemed like an endless array of people were in attendance - young, old, and everything in between. Though I felt that it got a bit repetitive to shoot in the same park environment while trying to obscure any identifying characteristics for any one person, I think that I got a few good shots. I continue to be amazed by the creativity of people's signs as well.
It was definitely a good opportunity to feel out the crowd and get into the mindset of shooting the alarm and anger of a protest versus the celebration of the parade I just arrived from.
One thing that struck me was the seeming patriotism abound. The American flag was a common motif (sometimes flipped upside down) but it gave me a tinge of hope that the country was not only worth saving, but also could be saved from this tyrannical streak.
Hitting the Pavement
Midtown Atlanta
After a few opening remarks and reminders to keep things nonviolent, it was time to take the action to Peachtree Street for the roughly three mile march to the State Capitol.
You get used to the soundscape of an event like this: chanting, sirens, the occasional car horn in support, but one sound on the edge got to me. It was the clanking of pots and pans from an apartment balcony. I looked up and snapped this shot.
It's hard not to protest in Atlanta without thinking about the Civil Rights Movement, particularly icons like John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. that have defined this city for so long. Seeing this protest cross a portrait of Lewis on a lamppost made me reflect a bit on what he would think about this unrest and if he would've been on the streets with us as well.
A Familiar Domain
Downtown Atlanta
There's always a bit of comfort that comes with shooting on turf that you know well. Downtown Atlanta is that place for me more than another as I went to university in these same streets and spent many nights and weekends roaming around to capture everything that this neighborhood has seen from other marches, Atlanta Streets Alive, and earlier that day at the 404 Day Parade.
One frame that really stood out to me was this one where we see the American flag flipped and draped across this person. This is one of those shots that a past me would've cut since it's slightly out of focus but I've grown to love the raw filmic quality of it. It reminds me of the classic pieces of photojournalism you see from protests and war photography.
Capitol March
South Downtown, Atlanta
As the march reached its conclusion at the State Capitol, you really began to get a sense of how large the crowds were. This shot and the header image above were shot near the Georgia State MARTA station and it just showed a sheer breadth of humanity considering I was on a very packed Peachtree street looking upon this crowd a block away on Piedmont Avenue.
It got to the point where it was hard to even make out any individuals beyond the crowds themselves.
