July 30, 2020: In a ten-second video, we see a police officer wearing a helmet talking to a young man (Alphonse, 16 years old) in the sensitive neighborhood of Planoise (Besançon, France). Suddenly, the officer violently strikes him in the face. The video cuts off at that moment.

Faced with such gratuitous violence, too often without major repercussions for its perpetrators, it is our duty to denounce these events and ensure they are never forgotten. Law enforcement represents the security image of the country and should protect the people. While respecting a code of ethics (Decree No. 2013-1113 of December 4, 2013), they are obligated to behave correctly towards citizens.

But who protects us from the police?
Graphic design and illustration for the design of a T-shirt in support of young Alphonse.

MS Graphisme and MTBK Clothing are once again joining forces to offer a T-shirt in support of young Bisontin Alphonse,
a victim of police violence. The elements on the T-shirt and the design itself have been conceived with the sole purpose
of faithfully conveying our view of this unacceptable event.

The helmeted police officer looks down on young Alphonse, straight in the eyes. This is a metaphor for the sense of superiority constantly conveyed by the police towards young people in the neighborhood. Conversely, young Alphonse is depicted below the representative of French order. Indeed, he remains powerless no matter what happens, as in most similar incidents documented to date. Below the design, one can read “who protects us from the police?” This phrase is inspired by Mathieu Kassovitz’s film “La Haine” released in 1995, which already addressed police violence. In the film, a police officer explains to Hubert, “The majority of cops on the street, they’re not there to beat you up, they’re there to protect you!” to which Hubert responds, “Who protects us from you?” It exactly reflects the situation Alphonse experienced.

The entirety of the design is placed on the back of the T-shirt to illustrate these events that occur in murky situations. Despite concrete evidence denouncing the facts, they are often forgotten or concealed in the majority of cases. Finally, “justice for Alphonse” is printed at chest level next to the heart. The aim is to strengthen our support for a situation that has unfortunately become too common in our lives.

Photography models: Medga ABDALLAH and Alphonse Combo ABDALLAH
Project type: personal