It's Mahmoud Khalil today; Tomorrow, it may be you.

To redact our fight for freedom is to rewrite history—we must resist it at all costs.

Mar 14, 2025

A black-and-white photograph of a protester standing in the midst of a demonstration, holding up a cardboard sign that reads, "If oppression is the law, resistance is our duty." The protester wears glasses, a face mask, and a keffiyeh wrapped around their neck. Behind them, a crowd of demonstrators, many bundled in winter clothing and holding signs, fill the city street. The urban backdrop, with tall buildings and glowing streetlights, emphasizes the scale and urgency of the protest. — When injustice is law, resistance becomes necessity. A protester stands unwavering, a reminder that silence is never an option.

Censorship in the area of authoritarianism

“The Land of the Free” except for thee. In a country that flaunts itself as the leader of the free world, where American freedom is spoken out like a rally cry at every American sporting event, it’s ironic that I have never felt free, especially in 2025, when our rights are being terminated at a neck-breaking pace.

"Freedom was never meant for me—it was dangled in front of me like a shiny new toy, always just out of reach. The more I educated myself, the further it seemed to slip away, until I realized that white supremacy was the architect, and I was merely an obstacle in its design."

A tense exchange between Chicago Police authority and protesters in support of the Free Palestine movement.

A prime example is why I joined Substack in the first place. I was primarily sharing my social justice photographs on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok, two of which have sold their loyalty to Donald Trump and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. And immediately a day before Trumps Inaugural address, TikTok went down for 10-12 hours and went live right before addressing Trump of the savior of Tiktok and ever since then, our voices have been sequestered to 100-200 views if we are lucky because it goes against this administrations narrative of white supremacy and doesn’t even let us acknowledge DEI or communities that are being oppressed, again. A textbook case of being shadowbanned.

A black-and-white photograph capturing a moment of tension between protesters and Chicago police officers. In the foreground, an officer in a uniform with "Chicago Police" on the back observes the scene, while another officer raises their hands. A protester’s hands are raised in a gesture of defiance or resistance. The blurred urban backdrop, with fire escapes and city architecture, adds to the intensity of the scene, highlighting the standoff between authority and the people. — When the system watches, who gets to bear witness? Hands raised in resistance, in documentation, in defiance—while authority looms, both seen and unseen.

Standing up is not always easy, but it is necessary.

On March 11, 2025, people in Chicago stormed the streets in the Loop to protest the illegal abduction of Mahmoud Khalil by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 8, 2025. Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident, was taken into custody due to his involvement in organizing pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Authorities have accused him of having ties to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, yet no official charges have been filed against him.

It's Mahmoud Khalil today; tomorrow, it may be you.

As a photographer who has been to countless protests, this hits home. Being a good photographer in stressful situations means keeping your head on tight and remaining calm even when oppressed. Trump's administration has been adamant about holding accountable anyone who uses their First Amendment right to oppose their authoritarian narrative. The most explicit warning of authoritarianism is an unwillingness to accept criticism.

In a world where speaking truth to power is met with silence, suppression, or outright punishment, the role of street photography becomes more than just documentation—it is resistance. The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil is not an isolated event; it is a warning shot echoing through the halls that reflect the ideology of American democracy, a reflection of an authoritarian system that fears exposure. When protest is criminalized and platforms manipulate visibility to erase dissent, we are left with a critical question: Who controls the narrative of history?

“It is a warning shot echoing through the halls that reflect the ideology of American democracy.”

As photographers, as storytellers, as witnesses, our duty is to capture what they want hidden—to make the unseen undeniable. Fascism thrives in darkness, but the lens refuses to look away. Whether through protests, photographs, or platforms that still allow us to speak, the fight for truth does not end with shadowbanning. It only reinforces why we must keep going.

To redact our fight for freedom is to rewrite history—we must resist it at all costs.

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