Maybe you can refresh my memory (because perhaps I'm ignorant and lacking historical perspective... maybe) but what substantial changes, as far as the targeting of people of color, were won by "peaceful protests". Enlighten me because I'm sure that if you thought to post this, you've actually given it a lot of deep thought. Right?
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
I didn't write this post for arguing (racial bias, police violence on minorities, etc), but to distinguish between peaceful protesting versus rioting; especially when there has been a horrendous crime in this manner.
But if you are stating that I am not looking to police brutality as being considered into a factor of targeting people of color, then I would state back to you that police brutality isn't always about race... back in 2017 when a police officer (of Muslim descent) killed an American Australian woman Justine Damond. People there, also in Minnesota, organized a peaceful protest (with no rioting done during the investigation or trial of the officer).
In the above link to the article it is quoted as:
So these groups (BLM, friends and family of Damond) were there and protested police brutality in peace. There were no riots. The people who are out AFTER curfews are not there to solely protest the death of Floyd, they are there to be malicious, unruly and break laws.
See, you're not answering the question I put to you. In fact, what you've essentially done here is answer to a claim I didn't make. I can't defend a position I don't hold. Maybe read my comment again!?
If this is your question, then I would have to look to MLK and his peaceful marches, protests and speeches. He attempted to do this, but how successful was he?
Political figures have tried to quell this situation, bring it to a stop... but no major changes. And again, I do not want to make this racial. Even laws being passed for police reform, etc seem to fall flat.
No matter what race a person is... there is FAR TOO MUCH crime in our country (I cannot speak for other countries).
And now I have to ask back to you... what positive things, changes or revolutionary epiphanies have come from all these current, or past, riots? Do the people out in our streets and cities looting, stealing, burning buildings, attacking innocent bystanders or business owners, vandalizing, etc make things better for what it is they are so-called protesting?
To read the civil rights actions of that era as the results of MLK is rather myopic. It seems you're being selective about what actually happened.
What about Malcolm X?
what about James Baldwin?
What about the Black Panthers?
What about Huey P Newton?
They didn't believe in the necessity of peaceful protest and they had a massive impact, especially the latter two. And a lot of people seem to conveniently forget that while MLK was alive riots happened, more so after his assassination. And significant change came after that. One can reasonably argue that the social unrest put a fire under the US govt of the time. But it wasn't enough.
One other example outside the US is South Africa. The changes gained were not a result of peaceful protest or a romanticized Nelson Mandela walking out of prison holding hands with FW de Klerk. That's political mythology accepted as history. the truth is that a protract action by students and exiled resistance using some violent methodologies forced that state into progressive action,
As for the stats image, a link to the source would be pretty cool. I don't know what the context of that data is and what is the best way to read it.