RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) Today the video of a famous musician debuted and the very first image seen in the video is from Richmond—but the owner of the photo is unknown as of yet.
Powerhouse folk musician and feminist icon Ani DiFranco, who released her 17th studio album in January, called for fan submitted images to make the video.
The song, titled “Which Side Are You On,” is a re-worked version of a 1931 labor union anthem that has been covered by scads of artists, from Pete Seeger to Natalie Merchant to the Dropkick Murphys.
The artist asked fans to submit a photo inspired by the track and had a company create a video with the images.There were so many submissions that the extras were posted here.
The Richmond images captures a long line of riot police assembled on Broad Street, with the red neon light from the bar Empire overlooking the tense moment.
This photo looks like it was taken the night that Virginia Commonwealth University lost to the Butler Bulldogs in the Final Four, on April 2.
That night students leaving the Siegel Center quickly found themselves in a bottleneck of traffic along Broad Street.
There was a mix of celebration and chaos that quickly escalated into a riot. Police pushed back against the actions and crowd. The huge, writhing crowd lit fires, shattered windows and chanted.
Police tried to squelch the mayhem with rubber bullets, tear gas and arrests. Six were arrested that night.
The police department faced criticism for excessive presence and force. Many said that logistically they were given no choice except to walk directly into the masses of rioters. They said they were dangerously corralled into the riot.
Kent State it certainly wasn’t, but the image is strong visually, along with many other in the newly released video.
Mother Jones first published the video today, with links to previous interviews with the folk singer.
As an extra, you can click over to a free Soundcloud download of the song, here.
We contacted Righteous Babe Records to find out the name of the person who submitted the photo, but were told that the video company had not been back in touch with them yet, and as of now, the name is unknown.
And send us the word if you are–or know the person–who submitted the photo.
