Rioting, Non-Violent Protests, and Civil

Disobedience
How effective are these demonstrations?
Many recent examples of rioting resulted from police brutality against African-American
men. Rioting is an extremist form of protest. Acts of rioting includes looting, arson, murder, and
even potentially overthrowing a government. One major example of rioting are the LA riots. In
1991 a video showing multiple police officers beating an African-American man, identified as
Rodney King, on the ground was released to the public. The police officers were charged with
police brutality. With the substantial evidence shown in the video, the result seemed obvious. All
evidence shown appeared to prove that the police officers were guilty. In 1992 Rodney Kings
abusers were acquitted in court. This verdict set off some of the largest riots in U.S. history. The
streets of LA were in ruins, local shops were being raided and looted, and angry mobs took over
many areas of the city. Assault against police officers and the national guard and arson was
constant. In the end 53 people died, thousand were injured, and millions of dollars of damage
were dealt to the city. LA remained scarred for years after the events. Despite this damage, the
movements did spark a change in how law enforcement is monitored. It also showed the public
that race-bias is still a problem, albeit, in an unhealthy way. However, the positives do not make
up for the damage caused. Homes were destroyed and innocent lives were taken.
The most recent examples of rioting were from the string of deaths inflicted by white
police officers to black men throughout 2014-2015. One of the more notable riots from this
period were in Ferguson, Missouri. August 9th, 2014, 18 year-old Michael Brown and a friend
ran into a convenience store to steal cigarettes. Brown and company shoved the clerk, grabbed
the smokes, and ran out. While walking home from the robbery, Brown and his friend
encountered police officer Darren Wilson. After a struggle for Wilsons handgun Michael Brown
and his accomplice began running away from Wilson. Brown suddenly stopped running and
surrendered to the officer. Soon after Brown stopped, Wilson fired 12 shots at Michael Brown,
all hitting their mark. The final of the 12 shots was fatal. Following this incident many peaceful
protests began in Ferguson. However, these protests turned to riots after Officer Wilson was
acquitted in court. The scene in Ferguson got even uglier when the limited amount of rioters
were met with military-like force. This sparked more protests around the country due to the
harsh methods used against rioters and the militarization of police forces. This unrest is still
going on in the form of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Civil protests are an important part of democracy. These protests expose unjust
practices and bring attention to faults in the country. In the time of the Vietnam War, war protests
became an everyday occurrence. The packs of peaceful protesters and rowdy crowds began to
have an affect on politics. These protests often included speeches from everyday people and
war vets who disagreed with the choice to get involved in Vietnam. These protests, which
stayed peaceful for the most part, were one of the main reasons the U.S. finally decided to pull
troops from the war in Vietnam. Protest like these are a great example of how non-violent
protest can have an impact in the world. The Vietnam protests demonstrated how a successful
peaceful protest can be carried out.

Other famous non-violent protests and acts of civil disobedience is the civil rights
movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. Kings famous Washington D.C. speech was a giant
example of non-violent protest. His legendary speech changed racial tides in America as King
proclaimed, I have a dream. King reminded his 200,000 followers that day to stay persistent
and level headed. He did this throughout the eighth paragraph of his speech. Even directly
addressing the importance of non-violence by saying: We must not allow our creative protests
to degenerate into physical violence (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.). Though King was
speaking to his followers that day, the televised speech was heard by millions of Americans. The
message spread by King that day reached out to everyone in this country. He asked for every
man, woman, and child to make a difference in the world by being kind to a fellow human being
and not retaliating deite the evils committed against them. This speech remains a famous
moment in American history and was a major part of the civil rights movement. This, was not the
first time King had publicly preached non-violence. Throughout the civil rights movement King
spoke about not resorting to violence out of frustration. One example of King preaching peace
includes him saying, I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear (Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and, Let no man pull you low enough to hate him (Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.). Of course King also preached equality, such as when he said, Freedom is
never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed (Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.). King was a large player in the Civil Rights movement, he organized
many protests, marches, and speeches. King was an inspirational leader, he always told his
followers to not give up. If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then
crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.),
was another of Kings famous quotes. The Civil Rights movement that King was heavily involved
in included many boycotts, marches, peaceful lawbreaking, and speeches. These protests led to
multiple law changes and ultimately the end of segregation. Forcing the end of an oppressive
era that had lasted centuries is proof to show that this compilation of protests, marches,
speeches, sit-ins, civil disobedience, and endless amounts of hope are very effective tools for
bringing about positive change in society.