Only few photographers have this ability to see and then capture what happens on the street. LA street/doc photographer Shawn Nee is one of them. Besides being named by Complex as one of the 50 best street photographers alive — and being arrested by LAPD for shooting the streets –, he’s also been featured by NPR, the Los Angeles Times, PBS, and F8 magazine.
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The anti-police brutality movement is here. It’s not going anywhere. And as long as militarized police officers across the United States continue to brutalize and murder people with impunity, this powerful rising force will continue to grow and become stronger.
For years, I’ve been photographing anti-police brutality marches and rallies, and have witnessed the evolution of this movement. When I first started taking pictures, you wouldn’t see as many children, housewives, and grandmothers at these events as you do today. And you especially wouldn’t see these people holding signs that said, “…BLOOD is on your hands”, “I hate the police…”, or “Police: It’s a Gang”.
Nowadays though, it’s a different story. People who once supported police, no longer do, and it’s the police officers themselves who are responsible for this expanding backlash.
With the power of the internet and its ability to educate and open eyes, the American people are really starting to see how dangerous police officers are to them and their families. For instance, six of them can murder your son on camera and get away with it.
The following photos were taken at a “Justice For Kelly Thomas” rally that took place in Fullerton, CA, on January 18, 2014.
Continue reading ‘THE GROWING ANTI-POLICE BRUTALITY MOVEMENT’
If the Los Angeles Police Department was potentially accessing your private information via a government database like the DMV, you would think that the subject of those searches would have a right to know if the information was accessed, when it was accessed, and why it was accessed. That way, the person could determine if the searches were done legally, or illegally. And whether or not, at the very least, find out if the searches violated LAPD policy.
Well, having carte blanche to this information may be true in states like Florida where there are very strong public records laws that keep government open and protect the public’s right to know. But what holds true in the Sunshine State, does not in The Golden State.
At least one person thinks I’m a decent photographer.
Last night, an email popped up on my phone that looked like another man notifying me that I’d inherited 10 million Nigerian nairas. So I went back to work, and ignored it for a few hours. But later, when I checked the rest of my emails I realized it was from someone congratulating me on making Complex Magazine’s “The 50 Greatest Street Photographers Right Now”.
It was a nice surprise, and seeing that I’ve been laying low for a while and not paying much attention to the photography world it was very unexpected. And I really can’t believe the writer called me “…a bit of a folk hero in the street photography world.” Haven’t heard that one before, especially since my photography has caused other people to call me things much worse than that. So it was a nice use of words.
I’m really appreciative being a part of this group of people. It’s motivating and helps you can keep going when you feel like putting the camera down for good.
So if you have some free time, go check out Complex Magazine because there’s some great photographers on that list.
“Shawn, let me use your phone.”
“candy”
“some bad dudes did this”
On June 2, 2013, while standing on a public sidewalk and approximately 90 ft. away, Shawn Nee was arrested for photographing officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. The officers claimed he interfered with their police investigation. Shawn was transported to the Hollywood police station, handcuffed to a bench, and escorted into an interrogation room where he was questioned by a detective. The arrest lasted approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Shawn was eventually released without charge.
boywithgrenade.org 
