Kemal Cilengir is one of the many photographers, who has been covering the local protests and uprisings following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis Police.
He often works with grassroots publications including LA Taco and These Streets Magazine.
"I’ve never been to war or anything, but some of those interactions that I went through this weekend is what I suspect war is like," Cilengir said.
He posts many of his photos on his Instagram page, Streetwise LA, where he has more than 16,000 followers. He also has his own Streetwise LA blog.
"A lot the perspective we’re getting is from helicopters on the news, and there’s not a lot of people in the trenches telling the story, and I think a lot of my friends take pride in that part that maybe mainstream media’s not showing," Cilengir said.
"I’ll never forget a guy right in front of me took a rubber bullet in his forehead. It left a dent in his forehead, and there was just blood gushing down his forehead," Cilengir said.
"I saw guys just standing there with their hands up getting shot at. I was tear gassed on Sunday in Santa Monica, where there’s hundreds of cops where the peaceful protesters were at, yet two blocks away, there’s mass looting going on for hours on end, and that kind of stuff just doesn’t make sense to me," Cilengir said.
Does he worry about his safety on the job?
"Not really. I try to keep my head on a swivel but to me, it’s just super important to document these times that I kind of put that to the back of my head, I suppose," he said.
But he says he did buy a helmet recently after somebody threw a metal trash can and it flew over his head.
"Then, it hit a cop that was standing right in front of me and ricocheted off the cop and hit me on the top of my head," Cilengir said.
But over time, he says protests have seemed less aggressive and more reflective.
"Total shift. I mean, everyone was really peaceful. It felt like a party almost," Cilengir said. "They broke out into a drum circle, like in the middle of the protest, and it was a really beautiful scene."
While he’s witnessed both protesters and police act as instigators, he hopes showing people what’s really going on will start discussions to help end racial injustice.
"Not only do I enjoy documenting, I enjoy being out there and standing in solidarity with everyone," he said.
To see more photos from various street photographers, check out the instagram handles below:
@thesestreetsmag
@josh.tsm
@eatenbyflowers
@yakooza
@n.rdy
@6amlosangeles
@jaleesa.donna
@enkrypt_losangeles
@jenaelien
@watchjosieshoot
@jett.la
@asteryx
@shutter_doll
@lataco
@paolo.fortades
@justingaar
@taylorgilmorephoto
@lighteditions
@caliwinter
@anthony_carley_
@shoton35mm
@streetwisela
@koreano213