Tell me what democracy looks like
by Sumeja Tulic from New York, NY
Throughout June 2020, I went to several protests on Long Island: Bridgehampton, East Hamptons, Westhampton, and Riverhead. Although most of these communities are synonymous with wealth, their socio-economic, as well as racial composition, is much more diverse. This became evident during the protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
Most of the protests I have attended had the same, for the lack of a better word, scenario. After enough people gathered, they would start marching down the street. The march would, eventually, culminate in the performative part of the protest, which is when protestors laid on the road, some on their stomachs, with their hands behind their backs as they repeated, “I can’t breathe,” for 8 minutes, 46 seconds, the amount of time Floyd had been left gasping for air before his death.
I found photographs to be inadequate in documenting the performative aspect of the protests, as well as the in-between moments. So, I started filming the gathering with my iPhone.
