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Hello, my name is Craig Philbrick, and today I'm going to be talking to you guys about a frame that I took last year, June 2nd, 2020 during the Black Lives Matter movement, one of the marches. And it is funny how this photo came to be.

One of my good friends from Far Rockaway - Shout out, Queens! One time! Originally, we didn't even speak to each other; we just happened to run into each other on the sidelines of a march. He was smoking a cigarette, and I was like, "My god! That's crazy how we just, you know, like- this is crazy that you're here! I'm happy you're here!"

So, we just stuck to each other until we got to Columbus Circle - and out of respect towards the subject, I'm not gonna name any names because he didn't want to be named - but I can tell you he's a gentleman from Far Rockaway. He's a US Navy veteran. And this is how he felt - as probably a lot of other people that served felt, too. Like, "This is not what we stand for."

And he went all-out: my man put on the uniform, he put George Floyd on his nameplates and, you know... That takes a lot of guts 'cause, technically, you aren't really supposed to wear [your] uniform when you're out of the military. So, BIG UPS to my guy!

The march finished - or took a pause. It didn't finish. It will never be finished. - took a pause at Columbus Circle. People said their words. And while people were saying words, I was like, "Bro, I gotta get this picture in front of the Trump [International Hotel and] Tower of you."

And he was, y'know, he was about it. And we did it. And it was [a] very powerful statement.

And, you know, that's more or less how the picture... became: we randomly ran into each other, and I took a powerful image. And I thank *him* for that.

And, you know... the rest is history.

Columbus Circle, Manhattan, New York - Jun 02, 2020

Craig Philbrick

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Craig Philbrick
Craig Philbrick
Craig Philbrick
Jun 2, 2020
Columbus Circle, Manhattan, New York

Craig Philbrick