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Freedom Of Protest Research Paper

Decent Essays

Fifty-Three people dead, over 3000 injured, and over 8000 people arrested. One of America’s most famous cities is crumbling right in front of the country’s eyes (Newkirk, 1). Cars line the street, engulfed in flames. Store windows and doors, completely smashed, covering the sidewalks with dangerous shards of glass, people running on top of it, as if they did not notice it digging into their feet. Angry mobs blocked intersections in South Los Angeles, tearing drivers from their cars and beating them (Banks, 1). Over one billion of the city’s dollars lost to arson and looting (Newkirk 1). The LA riots are some of the most iconic and deadly violent protests in United States’ history. Protests-when they go berserk-cause an immense amount of destruction and loss of both money and lives. Even though protests are protected under the First Amendment Right as the freedom to assemble, safety should always come before freedom. The First Amendment protects many individual rights, including freedom of the press, freedom to chose and practice a certain religion, freedom of speech, and the freedom to assemble. A right to protest is protected under the freedom to assemble and petition. This being said, there are many types of protests. Some different types of protests include sit-ins, marches, …show more content…

Generally, police officers help people feel safe, and solve the issues. However, in the LA Riots, the police were exactly the problem. It was very difficult for the police officers to protect the city when the citizens lost all trust for the police officers. Often times, other police systems have to come into the riots to solve the problems. Another problem with police and protests is prosecuting with equality. When the Civil Rights Movement was happening, the police mainly arrested the black people, even though there was plenty of white people participating in the

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