Visual justice: violent images between the need to see and the difficulty of showing

ABSTRACT

This article explores the intersections of politics, ethics, race, and representation in footage depicting police violence. It centers on the case of Harith Augustus, killed by police in Chicago in 2018. The study draws on two main objects: first, the use of video recordings from the incident in reports by the ABC and CBS networks, and second, the visual piece Six Durations of a Split Second (Forensic Architecture and Invisible Institute, 2019), which merges counter-forensic rhetoric with documentary film techniques to challenge the official narrative. The analysis reveals how TV coverage subtly reinforces the police account by repeatedly showcasing violent scenes, often with sensationalist undertones. Meanwhile, although the film effectively substantiates the officer’s accountability, it faces ethical dilemmas in its stark re-exhibition of a Black man’s death, risking both retraumatization and a troubling second order of violence.

KEYWORDS
Visual culture; police violence; media and violence; politics of representation; counter-forensics