General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Forgive me if I roll my eyes at your precious outrage about torture. [View all]True Blue Door
(2,969 posts)The issue is that cops will not stop harassing, beating, and murdering black people on the streets, so people of all races can come together on the streets in front of cops and say "No more." People who've been victimized by the problem can come together with people who are morally outraged by seeing others victimized, and directly confront the people who are doing the crime.
That is a textbook case where street demonstrations are a Good Idea. It's part of why the demonstrations have spread so successfully, I think, and why more nebulous subjects - like NSA surveillance - are more difficult to confront in this way.
And also why Iraq War protests were perhaps not optimally planned. The crimes were being committed a world away, and the conspirators committing them usually were too, or were kept far enough away to never even see the signs. The protests were meant to be symbolic and expressive, not strategic - they failed to interrupt supply lines, halt commerce, or command media attention. They failed to identify concrete strategic goals, and were satisfied with "making a point" and then going home.
Just a bit of advice: Listen to people before forming opinions about them.