Tenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy was shot by police and subsequently died of his wounds in Cleveland, OH on November 22, 2014. For protestors, an affirmation of Black Lives Matter. For policy-makers, a discussion on gun control. For others, a judgment on urban youth. What does Black Lives Matter truly mean? Why should a Black life truly matter? Gillian Rose in Visual Methodologies (2001) posits when looking at and interpreting images that truth is not being sought, but is simply a justification for the interpretation that is being attempted. What can we glean from the images associated with the life and death of Tamir? The aim of this photo essay is to create a retelling of Tamir’s life and death based on an analysis of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor and Sheriff’s Office 224-page investigative report of the City of Cleveland. It presents the implications of his death and how it ought to inform us of the (mis)representation of his life. The location of his death was in a public park he frequented, a place of play and childhood. However, further analysis of the report reveals a relevance for researchers who use visual materials as artifacts. This retelling conjures a necessary discussion on his legacy, and who gets to be a child, gets to play, and gets to live. As we maintain that quality of life as key tenets in the social sciences and humanities, it is important that we truly embrace that lives matter, especially Black ones, even in death.