Do Protests Even Work Anymore?

Between eight and nine million people marched in the streets around the country to support the “No Kings” cause on Sunday. It was the largest protest in U.S. history. Impressive AF. Kudos to No Kings.

The idea of No Kings is that if 3.5% of the population remains engaged in protest, an authoritarian regime can’t hold its power. The logic is that security forces won’t fire on a crowd if they might know someone in the crowd. Whew. And I thought sports betting was a bad bet. That breaking point for America? 11.5 million people. No Kings isn’t far off from its goal, which should be applauded, but even if No Kings reaches 11.5 million people, I don’t think anything will change.  

Normalizing Protests

My takeaway from reading the No Kings literature? Recruit people to attend the next protest, protect communities from ICE agents, and disrupt businesses. There are better ways to run a resistance than a protest Ponzi scheme and that last directive seems a little vague. Harming people’s ability to make money, see family, or enjoy their lives isn’t an effective recruitment tool. The argument is that the cost of our current living conditions is worth a few hours' inconvenience. Again, the point is clear and incredibly accurate, but if the message gets lost in the tactics or mom and pop businesses are hurt, it will vilify the cause. And already has.

CNN covered the weekend’s No Kings protest with the headline, “Why new and seasoned protesters alike say they came out to ‘No Kings’ rallies across the country”. Yikes. New and seasoned? For those who believe in protests, that’s a badge of honor. For those against it? An eye roll. American media normalizing protests. Who are they even reporting for?

Dr. King's Effective Montgomery Bus Boycott

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew the point of protests. After Rosa Parks' arrest, Dr. King organized a year of protests where black Americans refused to ride city buses. Did it cause disruption? Were there arrests? Duh. Did this hurt those who needed the bus for work? To live? Yeah, but they sacrificed for a bigger cause.

The city’s bus system lost $3,000 per day, a fortune back during the 50s. This economic disruption and national attention to Dr. King’s peaceful protest helped lead the Supreme Court to declare segregation on public buses unconstitutional. That’s discipline, organization, and sacrifice. It also proves my protest theory. They only work when rich people lose money.

But for your enjoyment, dear reader, I was wrong.

Moral High Ground Always Wins

Boycotts are very successful in America when organized. The problem is organization in an always-online but never-connected world we live in is near impossible. But money is one means to an end. The other? Moral shame.

In the 1970s, twenty million Americans marched on the streets to have the government stop ignoring environmental issues. America’s First Earth Day. Hell yeah, hippies.

After World War I, veterans marched on Washington, D.C. demanding their bonuses. Those who defended our country camped out for what was rightfully theirs. And the minimum they were owed. But it was the Great Depression, and the American government wasn’t having any of that. Best way to remove protesting war veterans? Tear gas and tanks. It’s what our government did in 1932. The backlash was so intense Herbert Hoover was cooked as President, and the government’s actions led to the GI Bill.

And of course, let us not forget those American ladies. Alice Paul and the Silent Sentinels? Two-thousand women protested outside the White House for the right of women to vote. No American ever had the balls to protest outside the President’s home before these women. I guess we should change that “balls” term. The Silent Sentinels raised signs that used President Woodrow Wilson’s “fighting for democracy” rhetoric to enter World War I against him. Once America entered the war, the public deemed these women unpatriotic. Mobs harassed them, and law enforcement eventually arrested them for traffic obstruction. True American story.

These badass Americans weren’t done.

While imprisoned, they demanded to be treated as political prisoners instead of criminals. Law enforcement denied this request, of course, so the Silent Sentinels went on a hunger strike. America couldn’t have women dying in jail from starving to death. Women martyrs? No way. The guards force-fed these women by shoving rubber tubes down their throats or noses. One night, November 14, 1917, forty guards beat the Silent Sentinels, chained them to bars, and threw them into their cells like garbage at the direction of the prison superintendent.  

The abuse leaked and after a few months, President Wilson announced his support of American women’s right to vote to Congress. All it took was a few battered women. If I’ve learned one thing from American history, it’s that those in Suits are rarely American heroes.

The End of Protest Volume for Protest Focus?

Don’t spend money, pray the government grows a conscience, or hope a horrific crime against American citizens furthers a cause? The last two? Ha. They clearly don’t work anymore. I’m just saying. My protest theory stands.

In today’s instant world, we demand something, and we demand it now! Get out there and disrupt the streets. What I find most bizarre is that with social media, I figured protests would be more organized, focused, and effective. What’s the end goal? How will this force change? What’s the cause? Why protest here? Convenience?

Worse, it seems every weekend there’s a march, protest, or riot. Things are pretty bad in America, so it makes sense, but the tactic is oversaturated. Protesting is a weekend social event for many Americans. I’ve literally had to make plans around people’s protest schedules.

Protests cost taxpayers thousands, if not millions, of dollars. In 2020, New York City spent $145 million on police overtime responding to protests. Los Angeles? Over $40 million. The people who protested didn’t foot that bill. Taxpayers did. And we all know the rich and elite always pay their share and never use tax loopholes. Protest now, taxed later. The next generation of Americans will pay for today’s demonstrations. And what are we accomplishing?

“Our cause matters” or “your privilege makes you able to ignore this issue” doesn’t have the same sting when there’s always a protest going on. It’s also very close-minded to assume what another person is thinking or experiencing. Yelling in the streets about whatever issue doesn’t always cause change. Even if there’s a million things wrong.

Are Protests Violent?

Not all protests are violent.

In fact, from what I can see, most aren’t. It’s why it's so hard to hear about mostly peaceful protests while I watch stores being robbed, cars burned, cops assaulted, businesses ransacked, and a few city blocks turn into a war zone. That’s mostly peaceful?

The media turns the ones that go violent into a spectacle. The coverage becomes focused on the destruction, not the cause being protested. Are there Americans wanting to hurt the other cause by causing violence? Paid instigators or poverty-driven American pawns? My gut tells me yes, but in the court of digital public opinion, it doesn’t matter. Once protesters go violent, causes lose momentum.

These actions leave people without a place of work and often destroy family businesses. What did those Americans do to deserve that? Not joining the cause? Collateral damage? When these things go sour, it’s mostly the Americans who need to be recruited for the cause that are harmed. That makes it easy for people to support the other side.

Don’t Protest, What’s Next?

Do I want to see humans detained at family parties, on the streets, or in schools in America? No. Do I want to see Americans killed or injured by violent, criminal, non-American citizens? Also, no. Should we be sending Marines into an American city? Absolutely not. But what can we do?

Protests can work, but for the most part, they’re further proof to the American oligarchy that the poor and eroding middle class are uncivilized and need law and order. Maybe we’re just sick of the bullshit and hoarding from our elected and unelected rulers? Like when humanitarian issues become political fodder. This isn’t about whether those protesting are right or wrong.

If this is about making a difference, maybe we need to try something more effective than protests. Attack the wallets of those in power. It’s the only language these vultures speak.

One final note.

Every American should read Dr. Martin Luther King’s final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? That was honestly the point of today’s piece, but I didn’t want to do a straight book review.

Get out there and read, America.