Right To Protest

As an American and member of the “Baby Boomer” generation, I am all too familiar with one of our most basic rights:  the right to assemble, protest, and petition.

The founders of our great nation wanted to break free of the tyranny of a nation that denied them the civil liberties that they believed all people were granted when declaring independence on July 4, 1776.  The ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791 reaffirmed their faith in independence from governmental tyranny.  Freedom fails to survive when those in power make exceptions to the First Amendment for speech or criticism that they dislike.

In the years following WWI, Americans feared the Communist Revolution in Russia would spread to the United States.  Thousands of people who were deemed to be “radicals” were arrested without warrants or regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure.  A small group of people decided to take a stand against these civil liberties abuses, and thus was born the American Civil Liberties Union.  The ACLU is committed to fight for freedom and the protection of constitutional rights for generations to come.

Social change movements erupted in the 1960s, with varying degrees, that changed government policy and how most Americans live today.  The protesters believed in a more direct democracy and so took direct action – public marches, picketing, sit-ins, rallies, petition drives, and teach-ins – winning converts to their causes and changing public policies at the local, state, and federal levels.  They contributed their time, energy, and passion with the hope of making a better, more just society for all.

In recent weeks, a young unarmed African-American was shot and killed by a white police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.  This incident has fostered protesters to demonstrate amidst actions of looters, vandals and others seeking to inflame tensions.  It is disheartening to see a Midwest suburb with a population of over 21,000 become a war zone on national media.  The lives of those involved in the incident have needlessly been forever changed.  Decisions were made that fateful day, based on emotion, fear and what was thought to be facts.  Now, countless lives have been needlessly affected – businesses have been destroyed, jobs have been lost and values/safety has been compromised.  The recent actions have not contributed to a better society for all – it has served as an open forum for anger.  My heart is heavy that we have so little value for one another in action and deed. 

Can a peaceful protest truly exist when the topic is riddled with such fierce emotion?