In the era of protest, we as Americans love to stand up for what we believe in. From boycott and petition to whistleblowing and direct action, Americans use protest as a means of creating change in the world they see around them. The right to peaceful protest allows us as humans to exercise our political efficacy and truly feel a part of the political process. But today more than ever, the right to peaceful protest is infringed upon as much as it is practiced. In 2017, we see such brutality and anger in the faces of protest. Political protest has become a form of warfare, used not to represent progressivism, but to enhance the division between us as a nation. In terms of regulating political protest, the United States government is incredibly lenient. Demonstration laws vary from state to state, permit requirements are extremely rudimentary, and there is no national legislation giving a baseline for what goes in a protest. So what sort of policy change could be enacted to effectively protect protesters against political violence, and allow them to safely exercise their first amendment rights?

Eliminate: Paramilitary in Protest

Believe in what you want about gun control, and the right to bare arms publicly, the vast majority of Americans would agree that the presence of deadly firearms during “peaceful” protests is a recipe for incipient violence. Upon agreement, the federal government has the power to execute a weapons ban attached to all protests, similar to the method that the Filipino Government uses by putting in place a gun ban every election season (Wivell). You may argue it is an infringement on second amendment rights, but as we see them in airports, US Post Offices, and National Cemeteries, the federal government can and does enact these bans in multiple instances. Any weapon that the government deems unsafe or dangerous for protest, can be temporarily banned while demonstrating under permit. Strict weapons policy during protest would help eliminate the presence of paramilitary organizations during public demonstrations. Groups like NBLM (New Black Liberation Militia) and The Southern National Congress will be allowed to flash their insignia and speak demonstrate as they please, however they will be thwarted from using weapons for intimidation, and causing chaos.

Enact: Zoning Regulations

We’ve seen it so many times recently, from Berkeley to Charlottesville, when there is a clash of ideologies within the same physical vicinity, protests can turn violent very quickly. Demonstrations, small or large can spread extremely quickly. In cities like New York, political marches can reach from north to south in the matter of hours, and as hard as Law Enforcement works, it is near impossible to regulate the movement of city-wide demonstrations. At the state level protest zones are useful, but once again can not always be monitored effectively. When it comes down to it, protesters and counter-protesters need to be forced to demonstrate separately in order to prevent altercation. Comprehensive Zoning Legislation will allow state governments to regulate protest and more importantly, make it easier to prevent conflict between opposing protesters. Separate routes can be mapped out and flagged so that protests do not overlap each other. Each mapped route will also need a customized plan for dispersal, to be enforced and carried out by law enforcement.

Inform: Right to Hate Speech

It’s the thinnest line in the First Amendment, the right to hate speech. After Snyder v. Phelps in 2014, the Supreme Court confirmed it for Americans that hate speech is legal, and is protected under the First Amendment. Nationally, we must work on crushing the ideology of hate, without stooping to its level. For all those campaigning for hate, we must work to crush their spirits and not their bodies. Division in a nation can not be erased by inflicting violence upon one another. We see first hand with neo-confederate and White Knight groups who 150 years later, maintain the same racist agenda they did pre-civil war. The greatest leaps in racial progression did not happen on the violent battlefields of Gettysburg and Antietam, but on the streets of Washington D.C. peaceful rallying and protest. So we must condemn hate speech by respecting its right to be practiced, but by overpowering it with positivity and progress.

Recognize: Terrorism in All Forms

In the United States, the term terrorism has been misconstrued and altered to fit time and circumstance. But here is a wake up call for anti-muslim white nationalists who claim to be “taking back our country”…not all terrorism is radical Islamic terrorism. In fact by definition, the overwhelming majority of terrorist acts committed on US soil, have been committed by men, who are white, and who are American-born citizens. Since the attack on the World Trade Center, there have been 21 fatal terrorist attacks by alt-right extremists compared to the 10 fatal terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists. These alt-right groups consist of neo-nazis, neo-confederate, and white nationalist hate groups. Ironically however, Donald Trump has cut funding from “Life After Hate” an organization that is dedicated to deradicalizing neo-nazi and other white nationalist groups (democracynow.org). The ultimate conclusion is that until Americans realize that the violence generated through political demonstration is terrorism, we will never move towards ending political violence.
Our nation is leaps and bounds away from political freedom, but there will always be people fighting to protect the rights that we all deserve as Americans, and as humans. So I implore you all, to keep protesting, and NEVER stop advocating for what is fair, what is equal, and what is right. Because when political violence is eliminated, evil will not be identified by the blood in the streets, but by the ideology in our hearts.

“If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.” -Bayard Rustin