English 93
Instructor Cassia
Essay 1
Rough Draft
The Role of Violence in Protest
As technology is evolving so is our perspective. Over the past years police
brutality and injustice actions have always happen the difference now is with technology
people are able to see what is happening via social media. Before it used to take weeks
or months to find out what was happening in other states or countries. Now it takes
seconds to upload a picture or video and minutes before it goes viral on the internet.
Even though violence is used to make social change it can affect the outcome of a
protest. Violence should be used when justice is not being made and the voice of the
community is not being heard.
The case of Freddie Gray, a african american male who died on April 19. Was
arrested on April 12 in West Baltimore, police officers have no real reason to why he
was arrested. when arrived at the police station half an hour later he wasn’t able to
breath or talk. A week later he died from severe spinal injuries. This is an example of
one of the many cases that happens every year. In the article “The Mysterious Death of
Freddie Gray” by David A. Graham he writes, “Footage has gone a long way to helping
achieve justice” (p.3). Thankfully it was recorded but the charges were dismissed. After
the judge’s decision protesters’ were upset and some destruction was made. The
protesters wanted answers of what had happened to Freddie Gray and they didn’t
receive any response. This is when violence is question to what extend violence should
go. In this case they kept calm and used nonviolence till the end. Unfortunately no
justice was made so they expressed their feeling through violence.
As human beings we have different ways to express ourselves and different ways
to react. We are humans; when there is no way out, we will make one. Violence takes
on many different relationships. First, despite the fact that speech and violence are
pretty much opposite forms of protest, they also share a similarity. They are both utilized
to promote change or call for action. Speech is a much more civilized form of protest
compared to violence. It is often seen as the more acceptable form of protest by society.
For example in the article “Should Protesters Embrace Violence” by Steve Rosenfeld
he writes, “They also run the risk of giving defender of the status-quo in media and
politics an excuse to change the subject to those outburst, ignoring the protests’ core
demands”. This is why most of the time protesters choose to protest nonviolently
because those in power can easily change things up and the cause of the protest would
be lost. Those who use nonviolence to protest probably have a higher chance of being
considered by lawmakers or government officials. In contrast, violent protest is usually
frowned upon because it is seen as uncivilized and potentially harmful to people.
Violence draws more attention from people and the media whereas speech would only
make the news if the speaker were well known.
Some people are able to keep a protest with nonviolence while others use
violence to get faster results. In the article “Nonviolence as Compliance” by Ta-Nehisi
Coates writes, “The people now calling for nonviolence are not prepared to answer
these questions”(p.3). He’s explains how those in power are asking for nonviolence not
because they really want to the protestors to be peaceful but because they don’t have
answers. This is why some protest work better with violence because it lets those in
power know protesters are aware of the situation. It also puts pressure on them to find
out what is really going on. Their wouldn’t be protests if their was no injustice being
made.
There has been many protest throughout history and violence has taken a role in
each of them. Some protest get results with non violence while others get results with
violence. As our lives continue to evolve so should our social justice system. it can not
be possible that years later the same group of people continue to fight against each
other. As a community we should protest when it’s right and as humans know when to
react violently and nonviolently.
