Following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen on Saturday, and the ensuing media portrayal of his death, Twitter users expressed outrage in the form of a hashtag.
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown protests the depiction of minorities -- especially African-Americans -- who are often presented as "violent thugs with gang and drug affiliations," according to The Root. Michael Brown, 18, was shot and killed by a police officer on Saturday after an altercation with the officer in Ferguson, a predominately black suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, police said. Details of the shooting are in dispute, and the St. Louis County Police Department is still investigating the incident.
The anger on Twitter was prompted by a photo used in some news stories about Brown's death. It shows the 18-year-old with his fingers extended, which some have interpreted as a peace sign, while others considered it a "gang sign."
If you died, which picture would the media use? #IfTheyGunnedMeDown #MikeBrown http://t.co/lJMM9a0owk pic.twitter.com/YYxIbPB0xA— The Root (@TheRoot) August 11, 2014
In response, many black men and women tweeted side-by-side photos of themselves -- one image depicting the user as an upstanding or everyday citizen, and another showing the user as stereotypically thuggish. They included the hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown.
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown What Pic Would The Media Use ? pic.twitter.com/YZzB44If8d— A DUDE NAME KING (@1KlNG) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown what pic would they use of us pic.twitter.com/zfdqrx66PF— SHUTTLESWORTH (@_SHOTSFIRED) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown what picture would they use. pic.twitter.com/XmqO6zWTor— Gifty (@Gifty_Presenter) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown would I be labeled an honor grad or a blunt smokah pic.twitter.com/BCaRqMCMn8— (@TopFlightRod) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown they'd say i was a thug pic.twitter.com/JsLxga0uwv— Dev (@DevinDinero) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown which pic would y'all use?? @KTVU @ABC @NBCNews . pic.twitter.com/pcuT1ro9Tm— #ReturnMyPossum (@BloodlineMAL) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown what picture would they use pic.twitter.com/lJ3k3tT63n— I Am Who I Am (@King_Ghidorah5) August 11, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown which image would the Media Use??? pic.twitter.com/kmgwITFdky— #INDISSTREE (@BuddhaLeeRaye) August 10, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown Which picture of me would be on the news? pic.twitter.com/84OF8e7eDI— Trilly Joel (@yemi_isms) August 10, 2014
#iftheygunnedmedown which picture would they use? pic.twitter.com/YgSAUC1R8u— Name Ring BELLS (@Heartbreak_Rell) August 10, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown, and I was unarmed, what picture would the media use to create a racialized bias? pic.twitter.com/AolLMfiOJV— LEFT (@LeftSentThis) August 10, 2014
After Ferguson residents attended a candlelight vigil for Brown on Sunday night, nearly three dozen people were arrested for looting and burning stores, vandalizing cars, taunting officers and assaulting and threatening reporters. On Monday, hundreds of demonstrators protested outside the Ferguson Police Department, demanding murder chargers against the officer who shot Brown, Reuters reported.
Some commentators have compared Brown's death to that of Trayvon Martin, another unarmed black teen who was fatally shot in Florida in 2012. Last year, a Florida jury found George Zimmerman, Martin's shooter, not guilty of second-degree murder. The case and trial spurred a U.S.-wide debate on racial profiling.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press