The Lawrence Bryant Collection documents a growing movement protesting police violence, spurred by the shooting of African American teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The bulk of the collection shows the protests and unrest in Ferguson and surrounding areas following Brown’s death on August 9, 2014 and the announcement on November 24th of the Grand Jury’s decision not to indict Officer Wilson. Photographs show peaceful demonstrations and vigils, as well as rioting, looting, and burning buildings. Police are shown responding to the unrest with a militarized approach, and officers are frequently wearing riot gear, wielding rifles, manning armored vehicles, and deploying tear gas and smoke bombs. Officers come from a wide range of local police departments, particularly the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the National Guard are also included.

The earliest photographs in the collection show protests held on August 13th and 14th, including marches through the streets of Ferguson and vigils held at the temporary memorial to Michael Brown set up at the site of his death on Canfield Drive. These photographs include Senator Claire McCaskill, Governor Jay Nixon, and Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ronald S. Johnson on the ground in Ferguson. Scattered protests are shown throughout the fall of 2014, particularly in the days leading up to the Grand Jury’s announcement. Photographs taken the night of the announcement show Michael Brown’s mother, Lezley McSpadden, as well as peaceful protests that devolved into rioting, looting, and burning buildings. The Grand Jury’s decision led to multiple protests in late November, and photographs show Black Friday protests at both the St. Louis Galleria and Chesterfield Mall. The final photographs in the collection show protesters blocking traffic on Interstate 70 to mark the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death.

The collection also includes general protests against police violence and events in memory of other African Americans killed by police officers. Of note are photographs showing a protest and candle-light vigil in honor of Antonio Martin, who was shot to death by a police officer at a Berkely, Missouri gas station in December 2014, and one photograph showing a memorial at the site where Kajieme Powell was killed by St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers in August 2014. General protests include a United We Stand Silent March to protest officer-involved shootings; a March to the Arch, which included an “eviction notice” served by protesters to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; and protests during Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events.

The influence of the Black Lives Matter movement can be seen throughout the collection in the messaging used by protesters and in protesters’ inclusion of broader issues surrounding police violence.