July 12, 2016
A revealing moment photographed before a woman's arrest last weekend at a Baton Rouge protest has become a powerful symbol for the building movement against police brutality and racial profiling in the United States.
This photo of #LeshiaEvans is America's Tiananmen Square moment, when the ludicrousness of the authorities is clear. pic.twitter.com/YkJCgh5eCh
— Ben Finn (@BeeZedEff) July 11, 2016
On Tuesday, the woman seen in Reuters photographer Jonathan Bachman's photograph was identified by multiple sources as 28-year-old Scranton-area native Ieshia L. Evans, a nurse who traveled to Baton Rouge in solidarity with those denouncing the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling.
The image has become a focal point during a week of nationwide protests over police shootings of minorities, further magnified by the deadly sniper attack in Dallas that left five police officers dead and seven others wounded.
Evans was arrested by Louisiana State Police, held in parish prison for approximately 24 hours and released on Sunday to find a flood of media requests and an outpouring of support. She was one of dozens arrested at Saturday's protests in Baton Rouge and more than 300 arrested at demonstrations across the United States.
Bachman, speaking to The Atlantic, described a chaotic but peaceful scene as protesters were asked to disband a blockade to the side of the highway where Evans stood her ground.
It happened quickly, but I could tell that she wasn’t going to move, and it seemed like she was making her stand. To me it seemed like: You’re going to have to come and get me. And I just thought it seemed like this was a good place to get in position and make an image, just because she was there in her dress and you have two police officers in full riot gear.
It wasn’t very violent. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t resist, and the police didn’t drag her off.
It’s representative of the peaceful demonstrations that have been going on down here. I understand that officers have been hurt in other cities, but down here it’s remained peaceful.
The photo has drawn comparisons to the infamous 1989 standoff at China's Tiananmen Square, heightened by the contrast between a militarized police force and Evans' summer dress. Some have objected to the glorification of Evans' decision, conscientious or otherwise, to break the law in light of the wider implications of the protest movement laid bare in Dallas. That attack has been officially condemned by the Black Lives Matter movement.
