Protests riots in the United States has proven to an issue for both the country’s financial strength and the unity of the nation. With the presence of social injustices, combined with the increased impact of social media propaganda, protests riots are beginning to reach an all time high. Protest riots destroy individual communities and businesses, jeopardizes the safety of others and taints the protest’s cause by resorting to civil disobedience. Action must be done in order to prevent these random acts of violence from continuing after every social hot topic. The goal is not to prevent citizens from protesting; in fact, this should be encouraged. The goal is to change the way the protests are handled from both the citizens and authority perspectives, in order to prevent these protests from escalating into something dangerous.
March 16 saw a demonstration in Montgomery, Alabama in which 580 demonstrators planned to march “from the Jackson Street Baptist Church to the Montgomery County Courthouse” (Reed 26). These protestors included a large number of northern college students. They met a police line a few blocks from the Courthouse and were forbidden from proceeding because “they did not have a parade permit” (Reed 26). Across the street came 40 or so students who planned on joining the group en route to the Courthouse. Eventually a few of the demonstrators dared to cross the street, led by James Forman who had organized the march. When it seemed the whole group would cross, police took action, with mounted officers and volunteers arriving at 1:12 pm. Riding into the small group of protestors, they forced most to withdraw, but a few stood fast around a utility pole where horsemen began to beat them. “A posseman
As an American citizen, we are guaranteed many freedoms through the Constitution. The first amendment in the Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” (US Const. amend. I). This means that all people have the right to assemble a protest peacefully, and Congress in unable to prevent this practice. However, in recent years this has become controversial because many residents question how much protesters can get away with before a demonstration becomes turbulent. Because of this question, there have been many cases in which law enforcement has become involved in rallies. This essay will explore when law enforcement became involved in rallies, and when they did not.
There have been several arguments regarding protesting police violence. For decades, the constant battle of whether or not protesting is effective has been tarnishing our communities. Demanding change and different outcomes, citizens within the communities ban together in hopes of finding common ground. In doing so, it has unified minorities in the communities as well as brought partnership amongst them, forcing changes to be made.
Assembly can lead to change or it can lead to horrible circumstances, sometimes planned or sometimes accidental. Over the years people have used and abused their right to assemble, many have died, even more have been arrested. But, many issues have changed because of this right. Violence has been endured, and people’s lives have been changed. The Vietnam War is a perfect example of a group of protests that had many different outcomes. The Kent State shootings and the Democratic Convention of 1968 are examples of protests that went terribly wrong. Sit-ins and singing protest songs against violence are examples of peaceful protest.
Like the white southerner of the 1960's may look on the Civil Rights movement, many see the issues of today's protests of no concern and believe that the upset parties should “just go home”. Liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, fascist or anarchist, both sides of each political spectrum view each other with distrust and animosity over the issues that they feel are important. However, what many forget to remember is that if we were to only allow “important” civil disobedience or “justified” protesting, how would we ever be able to set up qualifications for this criteria? Once we ban one group from exercising this right, then it will only be a matter of time until all groups will lose this right, as each cause has some importance to
With today 's technology, it is easier than ever to record any event at the click of a button or swipe of a finger. Anyone with a smartphone or a camera has the ability to record whatever they wish, whenever. The power to record someone, whether or not they have the knowledge that they are being filmed, holds them accountable for their actions. At least, that was the reason police arrested Vancouver citizens who were recorded vandalizing city property by fellow citizens during the 2011 Vancouver Riots. There is much debate on whether or not individuals should turn in others to the police because they have video/photographic evidence. To some, this is not a question at all. After all, if an individual is causing public disturbance, shouldn’t they be held responsible and be punished by the law? In Navneet Alang’s article, "Big Brother, C’est Moi: Vancouver’s Post-Riot Web Vigilantes Can Be Tamed," the author cautions against this sort of belief, and suggest that a sort of “civic code,” or laws should come into existence to regulate who and/or what is brought to the law (Alang, 246). The power to use technology to involve the law in such scenarios as the Vancouver Riots raises issues such as that of anonymity, power, and what this could mean as technology continues to advance further.
Protests are a way that many citizens have historically exercised their right to freedom of speech and as to voice their opinions on current matters in the U.S. as well as other nations. Protests help the uninformed get informed on specific issues, and try to persuade fellow citizens. What were some of the effective aspects of the protests that were portrayed in “The Matrix”, “Battle in Seattle” as well as those in “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”? What were the downfalls? An effective protest is one where an advocated idea gets across to the intended audience. Peaceful protests tend to have a better outcome than those that lead to violence.
Gorringe, Scott, and Rosie (2012) conducted a study after Her Majesty’s Chief of Constabulary (HMCIC) revised the public order approach, stating that the way public order is handled needs to change and to make sure there are no surprises for either party. With this new approach, there are two areas of focus: The Elaborated Social Identity Model (EISM), is used to gain more understanding of crowd psychology, and a dialogue policing tactic that focuses on communication between the protestors and law enforcement (Gorringe, Scott, & Rosie, 2012). There are five essential parts of dialogue policing. The police negotiate, mediate, initiate, communicate, and constantly asses the threat level during the protest (Gorringe, Scott, & Rosie, 2012). The authors of this study note that these officers try and maintain positive communication with the protestors as well as keep their word with agreements made
there. Many of the protesters were concerned that the local police was tracking the protest
In the weeks that followed the Michael Brown shooting, Ferguson was filled with violence, riots, and protests. There was massive police resistance, and demonstrators were clashing with police officers. Ferguson was all over the media and it brought up a lot of concerns. Among these concerns were police misconduct, unnecessary use-of-force, racial profiling, and police response to rioting and the public recording these incidences. It is apparent that the public consensus is that body-worn cameras are the answer to preventing another “Ferguson” from happening (Wasserman,
In fact, there was no one arrested in that protest, reassuring it to be quite a passive resistance. Furthermore, the protestors even got positive reinforcement from the
When it comes to our health, a good healthcare plan is a very important subject for all individuals. Some even argue that it is a basic right to have one. Bernie Sanders stated, “Healthcare must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Every man, woman, and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income…” (“Issues: Medicare for All”). However, reality tells us a whole different story. America is one of the most developed countries in the world with some of the best medical care. Yet, how can the people enjoy the benefits when it is almost unaffordable to most. People are afraid to fall sick just because they are afraid of how much it would cost. However, sometimes a doctor or hospital visit is unavoidable. In most cases, it comes at a great price, especially to the middle class and the elderly. Wealthy individuals are likely to reap the benefits of having an expensive healthcare plan, while the rest may suffer from the unimaginable cost of treatments, or even worse, live a risky life without insurance. An effective solution to this problem would be a Universal Healthcare System. This would ensure that all people have equal and affordable health coverage, centralized healthcare records for all individuals which will help easy diagnosis by doctors and reduce the intensive labor costs of medical billing. Moreover, it may boost the economy by freeing business from providing expensive healthcare benefits to workers.
-tear gas (CN or CS gas), pepper sprat (OC aerosol spray), MACE (CN in an aerosol spray propelled by volatile solvents), stun grenade.
As we busily bustle around our lives, a prevalent problem surfaces, disease. The mournful realization when assessing our situation, is that sick people are polluting the world. Diseases spread like wildfire, leaving a wake of destruction in their path. Our inability to defeat disease highlights the problem, and I have the solution...