BALTIMORE – Freelance photographer Erik Meiteen, known for his shots of looters in Ferguson, had a great chance to document the “shocking” and “apocalyptic” levels of violence network news wanted to report on in Baltimore, were it not for the respectful protesters who kept getting in the way.
“Guys… Guys, could you just like, scooch a little to the left,” said Meiteen to a group of calm residents who had gathered together in an effort to stop innocent people from being murdered by police.
“Also, your ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign is kind of blocking my view of the clouds of tear gas that I came here for, so would you mind?” he added.
Meiteen reported that his Baltimore trip had already not been going well, as a competitor had nabbed the footage of a building on fire that CNN would repeatedly air, subliminally suggesting to viewers that fires were still raging.
“Do you know how much money he’ll make off that one clip? Some guys have all the luck,” said Meiteen as he walked past a makeshift memorial to Freddie Gray.
Meiteen remained hopeful throughout the night, as “all it takes is one good looting,” but ultimately went home disappointed with nothing but a few shots of the protesters and local communities volunteering to clean up the streets the next day.
