It’s an iconic photograph. A Black woman clawing at a white police officer’s face. Both her handbag and his baton were in her grip. Her name was Pamela Echols.
The photo takes place in Milwaukee, during a bloody revolt against capitalism and police power.
On July 30, 1967, cops grew angry as leaflets circulated, urging residents to file police complaints. Rumors of brutality that Sunday also spread. Between that and ongoing housing discrimination, Black residents hit a breaking point.
Windows smashed. Fires burned. Authorities flinched as protesters moved towards downtown’s retail district – because they cared about money, not people.
The uprising ended with four dead, 1,740 arrested, and $500,000 in property damage. Newspapers scolded Black protesters for being so disruptive. But their resistance helped lead to the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Today, from BLM to Cop City, protesters are still fighting the same battle. Cops continue to arrest, harass, and kill to protect the interests of the white and wealthy.
So, while police and the media try distracting us with narratives about property damage and violent “outside agitators” to criminalize protesters, the reality is that Black Americans have always been under attack.
And though little is known about the rest of Echols’ story, that photograph serves as a reminder: they have no right to tell us how we fight back.