There has been an uncivil war going on in our country for years, and it’s getting worse all the time. We’ve gone from the “powers that be” fighting hard to prevent equality to rolling back gains we thought had been made. No one and nothing is secure right now except for the people who have the power and money to defend it.
People, just ordinary people, have few options to fight back. Public protest is one of the few avenues open to us. Protestors risk harassment, arrest, jail, and violence because those in control view all objections to their powers as dangerous to “law and order.” They have no problem using their power in ways that prevent others from enjoying the peace that “law and order” implies.
These images document the events in Saratoga Springs last summer as peaceful demonstrations by BLM supporters triggered a massive police response. I never thought I would see a tank on the streets of Saratoga Springs, a renowned quaint tourist party town. A tank in response to a protest that harmed no one, endangered no one, and caused no damage…a tank! There will be no order – no peace – as long as law and order is “for me, but not for thee.” Law and order needs to be for “We the People.”
I think these images make a compact, concise statement about a single event, capturing the urgency and impact of the situation in Saratoga that evening. Of course, that evening is representative of the many other events around the country over the last several years as ordinary Americans have turned to the streets to resist America’s march toward fascism.
I hope these images both document this uncivil war and pay tribute to the people fighting on the right side of justice in Saratoga Springs and the countless other places where freedom and equality are under attack.
Editor’s Note: These images are from Lodiza’s recent show “The Uncivil War at Home,” at the Left Bank Gallery in North Bennington. That show included 61 images from protests and demonstrations in Boston, Bennington, New York City, Saratoga, and Washington, DC. You can see all 61 images on Lodiza’s website.
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