Why non-violent resistance?

Protest is a vital, constitutionally protected right (in the United States). Periodically, events transpire that give rise to protest. Although protests in the United States have a long history, our citizens aren’t necessarily schooled in what makes for effective protest. Many are organized with the focus being on getting people out on the streets, perhaps in appropriate attire but it stops there. The purpose of this website is to provide a framework for more impactful citizen protest.

The Power of Peaceful Protest

Americans as a whole are tolerant of protests, even those they do not support ideologically, as long as they are peaceful. A gathering of a large group of people is powerful and even inspiring. Presence is power. Protest can lend credence to an issue by demonstrating that it is of vital importance and is something shared by a large segment of the population. Persistent protest also signals that no change regarding the issue will be accepted.

Protests attract media attention and present opportunities for protesters to communicate to the public by various means (interviews, signs, slogans etc.). It brings an issue to the attention of those who may be more detached and in turn, can begin to engage them and enlarge the circle of allies for the cause. A large group can also beget a larger group by allowing otherwise reluctant people to join without feeling that they are placing themselves at the center of attention.

While reacting violently during a protest might feel cathartic, it is a death knell for getting the message to those who need to be reached for the protest to be successful. If a protest does not engage and pull in support beyond those who initiate the protest, then it is doomed to failure. Why protest at all if the number of people sympathetic to the cause remains stagnant?

As soon as stores and government buildings are damaged, cars set afire, rocks and bottles thrown at police, the violence becomes the story. Once violence occurs, the people needed to become allies will detach and only want the “anarchy” to end. In other words, they will support authority’s use of force to end the protest. This is why we often see the object of the protest (often government) using operatives to conduct violence in an effort to taint the protest and justify a greater use of force.

The blocking of highways and bridges can have a similar negative impact on reaching the goals of a protest. These are tactics that people who do not understand effective protest deploy. Besides the fact that they are endangering people’s lives with such actions, how is this expected to help their cause? No one is going to be persuaded to hear what the protesters are communicating when they are prevented from getting to their job, a doctor’s appointment, a job interview etc. by protesters. In fact, these tactics will often achieve the exact opposite result of what is desired.

As Gandhi, Martin Luther King, the Velvet Revolution and the Arab Spring have demonstrated, peaceful protest can be highly effective. However, it is important to note that non-violent protest does not mean that the opposing side will not respond violently.

Those who participated in the March on Selma were subjected to dogs, batons, fire houses and the like. But by not responding with like force, it put on display a state government violently repressing unarmed and peaceful citizens. This was a sure-fire recipe for them to lose the support of the general population. Had protesters responded with violence, the state-sponsored violence would have been seen as a necessary evil and King’s message would have been buried.

A more recent example occurred in July of 2020. The United States witnessed Navy Veteran Chris David being beaten with a baton and pepper-sprayed when he calmly, unarmed and with hands at his sides approached what appeared to be federal agents wearing no identification. Mr. David’s willingness to endure physical attacks from authorities while remaining peaceful put the spotlight on the behavior of the authorities. The message of this incident was powerful precisely because Mr. David was acting in a non-violent manner.

Make no mistake, subjecting oneself to potential physical attack takes courage. It also takes great strength not to respond violently. Keep in mind that if you think that you would be unable to remain non-violent under these circumstances, you are just as likely, and perhaps more so, to suffer physical abuse if you react violently. The focus must always remain on the long-term goal of the movement. Think Muhammad Ali’s famous Rope-a-Dope strategy where he tolerated the blows from George Foreman until eventually, Foreman tired and lost the upper hand. 

It is Important to know what you want, not just what you don’t want.

A revolution doesn’t begin with a slogan, but with a clear vision of the change you want to see. That doesn’t mean you need to be rigid. You are not trying to impose your vision; you are sharing it, you are listening, and you are being respectful of those who don’t hold the same views as you. But above all, you are clear and everybody knows where you stand.