2017 Photo Contest, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize

Taking A Stand In Baton Rouge

Photographer

Jonathan Bachman

Reuters

09 July, 2016

Ieisha Evans (27) stands her ground at a rally against police violence against black men, outside the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana, USA, on 9 July. Evans had travelled to Baton Rouge to protest the death of Alton Sterling, who was shot at close range while being held to the ground by two white police officers on 5 July. The fatal shooting of Sterling came at a time of heightened tension in the US over the deaths of black men at the hands of the police. Data collected by The Counted, an initiative set up by The Guardian to record such fatalities, found that in 2016, black males aged 15-34 were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by law enforcement officers. Evans was arrested at the protest, but released later that evening.

About the photographer

Jonathan Bachman

In 2012, Bachman started photographing sporting events for the Associated Press and Reuters. In July 2016, Bachman was assigned to cover the killing of Alton Sterling, a 37-year...

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