Sara Flores

English 1010
Visual Analysis Essay

The Blue and Black Problem

I cant breathe, hands up, dont shoot, over the last couple of years those are some
quotes that I believe the majority of the United States have now heard. On July 17, 2014 Eric
Gardner who is African American is placed on a chokehold, tased and eventually dies by the
brutality of a white police officer, upon his arrest Mr. Gardner is heard yelling, I cant breathe.
August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an African American is killed by a white police officer after
allegedly having his hands up in the air unarmed.
These last two days we have seen two more deaths of black men in the hands of white
police officers. These deaths, along with many others began a movement called the black lives
matter a movement that has taken upon itself the civil duty, to remind people that the lives of

African Americans and their rights are just as important as any others and to change the way that
African Americans are treated, specially by police officers.
I chose this comic strip (if you can call it that) because of the severity of this issue and
how even in a place like Salt Lake, where diversity isnt as evident as other places, there are
people who still believe this is an issue. This comic strip was drawn by Pat Bagley, and published
in the Salt Lake Tribune in 2015. Obviously this drawing was meant to shed light on a very
important topic that our nation is going thru at this time. This drawing I believe can be applicable
to any genre. There are people on both sides of the debate, those who oppose this movement
and others who feel that enough is enough. This drawing does a good job in simple terms
demonstrating the issue. The police officer is seen yelling you have the right to remain silent,
while a person, presumptively a black man is on the ground shot, the gun has smoke coming out
of it suggesting that it was just fired. When looking at this picture, I would assume that Mr.
Bagley is suggesting that police are crossing the line of power, and killing black men
unjustifiably. As seen above, the person lying down doesnt appear to have any weapons on him
nor is he dressed as a thug, perhaps suggesting that it was unwarranted.
The main issue brought up in this drawing is the unnecessary police brutality against
those of a different race and whether the shootings or the death of these individuals was truly
necessary. However, the bigger picture is the race history that has existed in this country for
centuries, and yet still seems to appear stronger than ever every once in a while.
Those are all issues that can be interpreted based on this drawing; I really liked the
drawing because it touches a subject that many do not wish to discuss at a time that our country
is hurting to find peace amongst its citizens. They say that history often repeats itself, and even
though times are different it appears that the same conflicts still exist and continue to make our

society difficult. For the African American community, times are hard for them right now, many
are in fear of being pulled over and are constantly advising their children how to behave if ever
confronted by a police officer, and I believe therein lies the problem. We are taught to have
respect for the police, to not fear them, as they are there to serve and protect us, however, for
many, not just blacks, the trust has been altered, it has changed and many fear the police now
more than ever. It is important that something is done, so that kids are not in fear of being shot by
the police for having a tail light broken, but rather, to know that the person who pulled them over
is there to protect them. American Citizens shouldnt have this constant fear when driving a car
or even walking down the street, regardless of your race.
In sum, there is a problem; it is not just with the police but also with citizens that perhaps
have lost respect and trust in the police, it appears that it has become a white and black situation
when I believe it is much bigger than that. There needs to be a change in training and also
education in schools regarding how to act, civility is something that should be valued and
upheld. Police have a very difficult job, they risk their lives for people they do not even know to
keep our communities safe, it is unfair to say all police are like this, but the ones that have
crossed the line have made it hard for the rest. I believe as citizens and residents of this country
and state, we must do something to help out, not in violence but either by writing to elected
officials or starting discussion forums that will help close gaps, but most importantly, we as
humans need to learn to respect each other and start seeing each other as individuals rather than
race.