Women's March on Montpelier

On January 21st, just one day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States women from Montpelier joined 5 million others around the world as they took to the streets to demand equity and racial justice. It was the largest protest in the history of the United States. In tiny Montpelier, the turnout was the largest Green Mountain history to descend upon the Capitol. By 3pm, more than 15,000 protesters watched as speakers, musicians, and poets made their way to the podium planted atop the granite steps of the capitol.

Vermont State Capitol Building

 

A Muslim Girls for Change member reciting a slam poem

 

Former Governor Madeline Kunin

 

Senator Bernie Sanders

Stay tuned for the full story at Toward Freedom. For additional work and full portfolio visit my website.

Slow Democracy: Photographing Local Government

In recent months, I've been taken with a profound interest in local government and the "slow democracy" style of decision making so familiar to most New England-ers. Whether it's citizens talking about resistance to a proposed pipeline through their town, City Councilors adjusting and tinkering with local ordinances, or even the occasional church supper; I believe that photographing and covering these kinds of events with the same journalistic/documentary energy and enthusiasm has been one of the more intriguing experiences of the past year or so.

Not am I now equipped with a better understanding of a myriad of issues but I'm also granted the fantastic opportunity to talk with my fellow citizens about what is on their minds regarding their communities. This is where great journalism and storytelling has always originated from: community members engaged in discourse with one another. So often, I feel that contemporary "mainstream" gloss over this and fixate on the figures of power in government, industry, and elsewhere. So seldom are the occasions that the voices and concerns of everyday citizens covered as frequently and intimately as those of conventional "deciders" and decision makers. Additionally, the process of photographing meetings; hearings; and discussions gives me the tremendous aesthetic challenging of visualizing discourse (usually in less that satisfactory lighting conditions). It's also more challenging to come away from a relatively unexciting meeting with an image that (upon looking for a moment) is capable of implying the fatigue, uncertainty, and tension that exists just beneath the surface.

That said, here are some image from a recent meeting of the Burlington City Council Ordinance Committee. Be prepared to see related images of Discourse, Dissent, and Dissonance in the coming months.

-Dylan

To see more work by Dylan Kelley visit his website, Facebook page, and column at Vermont Commons. You may also follow Dylan on Twitter via @LiveFromGround

Police Commission Block Independent Investigation

I recently attended a meeting of the Burlington Police Commission as they decided, before assembled community members, to not recommend and independent investigation of the College Street Incident in Burlington that witnessed riot police firing upon unarmed protesters this summer.

For a full write up of the Commission's decision visit Vermont Commons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May Day 2012!

May Day!  The following images are from the 2012 May Day celebration in Montpelier.  Despite the rainy Tuesday that this workers' holiday fell on the wonderful organizations who managed to attend were Occupy Central Vermont, Occupy Burlington, Vermont Workers' Center, United Healthcare Professionals, Migrant Justice, Bread and Puppet Theater, and a variety of others.

Marchers rally in front of the Capitol on Tuesday for the international workers' holiday

Bread and Puppet Theater Company performing on the steps of Montpelier City Hall

A drummer and marcher plays to the photographer while warming up

Members and supporters of Migrant Justice rally on the steps of City Hall

Red Clover Climate Collective performs their "False Solutions Circus"

A supporter of the Put People First campaign

 Musicians march in the streets of the state capital

"Capitalism" has its hands bound after being tried and found guilty of crimes against humanity