10 Cell Phone Videos That Changed The World

Image via Complex Original

Back in 2011, Kelly Thomas was another homeless man who lived on the streets of Fullerton, Calif. Like many transients, Thomas had been diagnosed with a mental illness (his being schizophrenia), and had not been treated for some time. On the night of July 5, 2011, officers encountered Thomas after they received a call that someone had been vandalizing cars. They found an uncooperative and shirtless Thomas, at which point six of the officers beat and tased Thomas into submission. In cell phone footage, he is heard yelling, "Dad! Dad!" Thomas died in a hospital that night due to his injuries. An investigation into his death revealed that after Thomas begged for his life, an officer had put on latex gloves and said to him, "Now see my fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up."

In November 2011, the Occupy Movement was in full swing, having spread across the country from New York to California. During a protest at the University of California, Davis, seated student protestors had blocked off a paved path in the campus quad. Police officers asked the students to leave, and they didn't comply: instead, they remained seated and interlocked arms. Then, in an absurd and forceful act, Lt. John Pike of UC Davis pepper-sprayed the protestors directly into their faces. Footage of the incident sparked uproar, and turned Lt. Pike into an Internet meme for adding more fuel to the fire during a movement that had already seen violence used to control non-violent protestors.

In May 2013, news broke of an attack on a British soldier in broad daylight. Two men had beheaded Lee Rigby in front of many bystanders as the soldier left a base in Woolwich, London. News of the attack sparked confusion: Was it terrorism? Random murder? Soon, horrifying footage appeared online of a conversation a witness had with one of the murderers, Michael Adebolajo, right after the incident. In the footage, Adebolajo's hands are still freshly covered with blood, and he claimed he had carried out the attack "because David Cameron, [the] British government sent troops in Arabic country."

WARNING: This one is graphic, but nonetheless important. During the 2009 Iranian election protests, 26-year-old Neda Agha-Soltan attended one of the rallies after she was pressured to leave university because of her appearance and style of dress. Before reaching the protest, Neda and her music teacher, who had accompanied her, left their car some distance from the rally and walked on foot. As Neda watched the protests, a sniper from the government's paramilitary, the Basij militia, shot her in the heart. Her music teacher and a doctor who was nearby tried to save her, but Neda died on scene. The militiaman was captured and let go after protestors took his identification. The video became a call to action for protestors, and was shown around the world once it was uploaded to the Internet. It is considered the most widely witnessed death in recorded history.

The death of a tyrant: Saddam Hussein had terrorized his own people for decades, executing, raping and torturing many of them without having to answer to any other authority. That's until the Bush administration invaded Iraq in 2003, in search of non-existent WMDs. Regardless of the reason, American and British invading forces helped overthrow Saddam's rule, and the leader was found in a hole on December 13, 2003. Saddam was convicted of murders from 1982 and executed on December 30, 2006. One of the witnesses to his hanging took this cell phone footage of Saddam's final moments, where he is seen being sarcastic and defiant until the very end.

Ashraf Rossli, a Malaysian student, was in the wrong place at the wrong time during the London riots of 2011. The young student, who had only been in England for a month, had his jaw shattered by a crazed rioter. As he struggled to get himself up, a man comes over to help him stabilize his footing. Someone in a nearby building films this would-be heartwarming and human gesture, but just moments later, a man approaches Rossli and begins to take things from his backpack. Then, the man who appeared to be helping Rossli reaches in and takes things as well. The dazed Rossli was helpless to do a thing. Video of the theft was seen by millions, and was a prime example of how far compassion and decency had been thrown away by the mobs that ransacked most of London during the riots.

WARNING: Graphic. Muammar Gaddafi dictated over Libya from September 1969 to August 2011, when an anti-Gaddafi uprising led by the National Transitional Council led Gaddafi to flee and hide in his hometown of Sirte. Gaddafi had been condemned as a leader due to human rights violations, such as torture. When NTC forces found Gaddafi hiding in Sirte, it was safe to say "revenge" was on their minds. This is the last footage of Gaddafi alive, as he was killed (or executed) shortly after, allegedly by NTC soldiers who ignored the former leader's pleads to not hit or shoot him.

In a total "fuck you" to the Russian government, members of the female art collective, Pussy Riot, stormed into the Cathedral of the Christ the Savior in Moscow, where they performed their song, "Punk Prayer," on Feb. 21, 2012. The song is a "prayer" for the end of Russian President Vladimir Putin regime. Though there was no service going on in the cathedral at the time, within a minute of them performing, security escorted them out. They combined their videos, shot on cell phones, to create "Punk Prayer: Mother of God Drive Putin Away." Three women from Pussy Riot were arrested and charged with "premeditated hooliganism performed by an organized group of people motivated by religious hatred or hostility." Their arrests sparked protests around the world, and was the subject of "Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer," a documentary.

The Boston marathon bombings in April are the biggest acts of terrorism on domestic soil since the Sept. 11th attacks. In contrast to the attacks in 2001, social media and technology had vastly improved, so when the explosions ripped through the city, footage and photos flooded Twitter and Facebook immediately. Yet, one chilling video was shot from the perspective of one of the runners as they approached the finish line. The sound of the explosion is enough to make you jump even if you know it is coming, and the first-person perspective of the video is an extremely eerie experience. The video has been viewed more than three million times. You can still donate to victims of the bombings at www.onefundboston.org.

The subject of the recent flick, Fruitvale Station, the Oscar Grant BART shooting on New Year's Day 2009 shook up the Bay Area and the entire nation. Oscar Grant was fatally shot by BART police after a fight broke out on a crowded train. A few men were placed in handcuffs, except Grant, who was resisting arrest, according to officers. As two officers attempted to restrain Grant, one officer attempted to tase him while he was face down on the ground, but instead of bringing out his taser, he brought out his gun. The officer, Johannes Mehserle, shot Grant once in the back, killing him in front of dozens who looked on from the train platform-and who were recording the videos you now see. The killing sparked many peaceful and non-violent protests. Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2010.