The Brief: The hashtag #BlueFall is an online movement to expose videos of police brutality.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

People are sharing evidence of police violence and racism with the hashtag #BlueFall as protests demanding justice for George Floyd erupt around the world. Across the United States, videos have been surfacing of peaceful protestors being met with rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray, and batons from police. This social media campaign, which began on June 4th, highlights the ways in which police continue to enact violence against protestors who are raising their voices against the very issue of police brutality.

The name BlueFall is a reference to the “PrideFall” an online campaign perpetuated by anti-gay trolls who planned to harass, bully, and dox LGBTQ+ people online during Pride Month. Although the name BlueFall is similar to PrideFall, its mission differs in its focus on social and racial justice rather than cyberattacks on a marginalized group.

@fx.kiara.fx

omg I hope you guys like my dance video😉 #fyp #dance #bluefall

♬ original sound – theevahdestruction

#BlueFall has been spread by activists and individuals with the mission of bringing footage of and dialogue about racism and police brutality to the forefront. This hashtag can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. At the time of writing, videos associated with #BlueFall have been viewed over 1.9 million times on TikTok and over 2,200 Instagram posts have been made using the hashtag. Various #BlueFall posts include calls to action to defund, abolish, and/or reform the police, to hold officers accountable, and to continue protesting for racial justice. Some posts explicitly callout officers by name, department, and badge number to demand accountability for their actions. In addition to the hashtag, these posts often tag accounts of local officials, police departments, and elected representatives to bring them to their attention.

#BlueFall Exposes Police Brutality

Content warning: the following posts include depictions of violence. 

View this post on Instagram

This moment is forever seared into my memory with fear. We kneeled in the grass in front of the racist, confederate monument while police lined up with their big guns and bigger egos. We chanted “hands up don’t shoot”. It was peaceful, it was powerful. Next moment I screamed and ran for my life from exploding gas bombs, mace, and tear gas in my city streets. This moment of collective chaos and fear further proved what I already knew: The police are not here to protect us. ✊🏻✊🏽✊🏿 Police teargas Peaceful Protesters at 7:34PM on 6/1/2020. In Richmond, Virginia. . . #acab #blacklivesmatter #defundthepolice #georgefloyd #breonnataylor #marcusdavidpeters #sayhername #sayhisname #blm #vegansforblacklives #whiteprivilege #nojusticenopeace #richmondva #rvavegans #rvaprotest #protest #consistentantioppression #ftp #minneapolis #alllivesmatterwhenblacklivesmatter #bluefall

A post shared by @ vegans_r_sexy on

@annoymousnews

Continue to fight #trump #policebrutality #riotsinminneapolis #bluefall #acab #1312 #anonymous #blqck0ut

♬ original sound – annoymousnews