FACE-OFF: DO PROTESTS GO TOO FAR?

YES

Protests are a necessary part of enforcing your civil rights. Oftentimes these demonstrations serve as the catalyst for eras of political and cultural growth. More recently, however, the polarized bureaucracy of many organizations have led to protests becoming less about societal conflicts, and more about pushing personal agendas. This past June, when the landmark case Roe v. Wade was overturned, I went to an abortion rights protest. After learning about the mid-to-late sixties demonstrations in Mrs. Smiley’s United States History Class, I was eager to live out this piece of history and learn more about the subject. However, once I arrived at the Georgia State Capitol, I was shocked at the extent of the protest. While listening to NO

With the rise of social media, an epidemic of misinformation and dramatization has plagued people’s minds. The algorithm strives to show the most interesting and entertaining posts to the majority of feeds, and anything that falls short of jaw-dropping and exhilarating fails to gain attention on the internet. This idea is no different when it comes to protests; whether it be on social media, television or news sites, people post videos and images of the protests that are the most shocking, and the algorithm buries any evidence of peaceful and beautiful protests. Think of the protests that you have seen on your social media feed: the first things that probably come to mind are raging fires, broken glass and destruction. AASHWIN SHARMA, editor-in-chief

speeches given by protest organizers, many used their platform to preach what they saw as the benefits of socialism and other extraneous topics instead of focusing on the topic of abortion rights. These speeches led many protest-goers to question the intentions of the political organization that hosted the event. Furthermore, I found it paradoxical that many of the same people who were leading these anti-capitalist demonstrations were wearing designer and Nike clothing - whose logo serves as iconography for American capitalism. Although these were just a few speakers out of thousands across the United States who used their platforms to educate, other demonstrations have led to questions arising over the true role of protests. While protests are meant to shed light on civil issues, many leaders have taken advantage of the rebellious atmosphere beyond the scope of change. For example, in the 1992 Los Angeles riots, while many people used their platforms to speak on the unjust murder of Rodeny King, some rioters took advantage of the chaos and wreaked havoc on the city. Once the riots had dwindled, the Koreatown neighborhood was left in ash from the protesters’ arson. Resulting in the death of over 60 people, the arrests of over 12,000 and an estimated property damage of over one-billion dollars, the protest went far beyond the scope of justice and into the realm of revenge. Moving forward, it is imperative that we learn to use compassion to lead to growth.

GIULI CAPPARELLI, copy editor

Your mind likely doesn’t jump to orderly lines of people walking through town chanting peaceful and relevant messages even though this is the majority of protests. According to a study done by The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data in 2020, “Between 24 May and 22 August, ACLED records more than 10,600 demonstration events across the country. Over 10,100 of these — or nearly 95% — involve peaceful protesters.” ACLED’s report continues, stating, “Fewer than 570 [protests] — or approximately 5% — involve demonstrators engaging in violence.” In 2020, during the peak of Black Lives Matter protests, I went to a protest myself in the Johns Creek area. A large group of us met in the Saddlebrook shopping center and walked two miles chanting phrases such as “Black Lives Matter!” and “Give them justice!” Accompanying us were multiple police officers, ensuring our safety and, likely, ensuring the protest remained peaceful- and it did. We all chanted and marched with the genuine goal of bringing attention to and supporting the BLM cause, not with the intention of destruction and chaos. Everybody made sure to check on one-another in the sweltering Georgia heat, and multiple announcements were made reminding everyone that the goal was protesting peacefully. So, do protests go too far? Some do. But the five percent of bad protests are 99 percent of what is televised, while the 95 percent of good protests quietly fight for good.