Time and Place: Commissioner of Public Safety

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• Dustin Chambers??
• 2:49 p.m., July 12, 2015, 100 Ivan Allen Jr. BLVD. N.W.?

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? As seen through dappled glass on a door at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, a woman watches a small, old television playing a black-and-white film showing racial violence that took place in the early 1960s.
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? The sign on the door reads “Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor, Commissioner of Public Safety," giving visitors the sense that they are stepping into the office of one of the most infamous segregationists. Connor was known for directing the use of fire hoses and police attack dogs during civil-rights demonstrations. The large projection panels flanking the door depict monstrous versions of what is on the television, nearly enveloping the viewer in the claustrophobic and horrific reality of the era.?

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? The flat, straight-on composition of this photo illustrates the scene as it is experienced, putting the viewer in an anonymous and solitary place to digest reality. This photo is about staring evil in the face — stepping through the devil’s door to more deeply understand what we must continue to fight against.?

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