Chris Tuite - Concert/Protest photographer

AusformMag · Final - Chris Tuite - Ausform

Chris Tuite is an EastBay photographer who you have probably seen in front of the barricade at any number of the concert halls in and around SF. He is a regular shooter for Live Nation at The Concord Pavilion and Shoreline Amphitheater, but most recently he has been capturing the isolation created by COVID-19, and the civil unrest related to the protests that erupted as a result of the murder of George Floyd Jr. 

This interview was originally conducted before George Floyd Jr’s murder and a lot has changed since then. I’ll let Chris tell you a little about what he has been working on since then:
Since May 29th, I've been out documenting the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.  I feel that it's imperative to provide the public with factual coverage and images that tell the stories of those fighting for justice and the reform of our current police system.  The narrative is being altered by many around the country to portray the peaceful protestors as looters who are causing destruction and violence but that has not been the case in my experience.  The protesters have very strong voices and are fighting for a better country.  It has been so inspiring to be alongside them and to help their message be seen. I am very thankful for the trust they put in me to allow me to photograph the movement. 
 
On May 29th, I covered the first protest in San Jose.  There was a lot of anger and frustration over the injustices of the death of Floyd.  The protest started at City Hall and eventually moved to Highway 101, where the protestors shut it down in both directions.  This was the start of many protests around the Bay and it resulted with police resistance with use of tear gas, looting and burning structures in Oakland and throughout the country.  I covered Oakland extensively in the coming days after that first protest and the message was really strong.  
 
A lot of art started to pop up in cities on the boards that were covering the closed businesses and windows.  It was amazing to see the community come together in a time of unrest.  I was on the Golden Gate Bridge when protestors hopped the rails and took their demonstration into traffic, and saw how everyone cleared the way as a lady was in labor and had to get to the hospital.  I was in the car caravan when the Bay Bridge was shut down and saw the way CHP violently handled the situation. I visited Palmdale to photograph where Robert Fuller was found hanging and then up to Seattle with my friend Ashley (who is filming a documentary) to cover CHOP.
 
Being at CHOP felt like I was in another world and in a lot of ways it was.  They set up an occupied protest at the Seattle PD East Precinct, barricading themselves in with roadblocks and structures for protection.  They had their own security, medics, garden and a system that hundreds of people called home, while still demanding the reduction of Seattle PD’s budget by 50%. They demanded to distribute the money into black communities and the freeing of all protestors.  Unfortunately, violence broke out inside the walls and multiple murders happened and the original message was lost. Seattle PD, with help of the FBI eventually took back the area. We also covered a Women of Color led march which protested nightly in Seattle. Unfortunately, that was the same group that was targeted by violence and had a car run through their barricades and killing Summer Taylor and badly injuring Diaz Love. The revolution that is happening right now is not coming without cost. It is amazing to see how much power the people really do have, as real change has happened around the country.  This has been an eye-opening experience for me and I'm very grateful to be able to put in this much time documenting it.