zlacker

The American revolution was a violent protest.

>>evanli+(OP)
Yes, and the people participating on it were pretty sure they weren't living in a democracy.

I imagine that many people on those current protests believe they aren't in one either (or, at least, if one exists they are cast out of it). I'm in no position to judge if they are right, but on the case they are not, violence is no means to do a democratic protest.

>>evanli+(OP)
Against a tyrannical, non-representative government, and it was a last-ditch effort.

We have a democracy. People have opportunities to vote. Police policy is decided largely at the local level, so individual votes are powerful. Imagine if even 10% of protesters voted in their local elections...

>>throwa+dh
Local elections can be rigged against local voters. I wish I could find the link now, but I recall reading an article recently (was it in The Atlantic?) about how one American town with a huge African-American population was unable to get a single African-American councilman elected, because back in the heyday of segregation the local whites had managed to do some gerrymandering-like trick that made most local citizens’ votes now count for nothing.

You can also see dirty tricks at local council meetings, where those in authority abuse the meeting’s rules of order to quickly shut down anyone speaking up about problems that those in authority don’t want addressed.

>>evanli+(OP)
It was actually seeking to overthrows the government, and it was treason from the eyes of the British. If the British had won, likely every one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence would have been hanged or worse.

If you want to change the way things are inside the system vote, organize, protest. But actually seeking to overthrow the government is opening a whole can of very, very bad things.

>>RcouF1+LN
Gay rights, women's rights, civil rights were all won by combating unjust power using every tool available, including violence. Oppressors don't self-limit the tools they'll use to maintain power. Neither can those who are oppressed.

>>throwa+dh
Why would you think that the voter turnout among protestors is less than 10%? That seems absurd and at least a little offensive.