Is Protest the Answer? - What Have Protests Accomplished?

Proponents of social unrest would claim that protests have accomplished the following: 

* Provided relief for the poor.  In response to so-called riots in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., that occurred  during the Great  Depression of the 1930's, city officials suspended evictions and arranged for some of the rioters to get to work.  Similar protests in New York City restored 77,000 evicted families to their homes.

* Addressed injustices.  Ultimately, the 1955/1956 boycott of city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.A., led to the overturning of laws for segregated seating in buses.

* Stopped construction projects.  In December 2011, tens of thousands of people protested the construction of a coal-fired power plant near Hong Kong because of concerns about pollution,  of course protesters do not always get what they want.  For example, leaders may crack down rather than   give in to demands.  Recently, the president of one Middle-Eastern country stated regarding the protest movement there: "It must be hit with an iron fist," and thousands have died in that uprising.

Even when protesters accomplish their aim, the aftermath invariably brings new problems.  A man who helped depose a ruler of an African country told Time magazine about the new regime:  "It was utopia that immediately descended into chaos."

Next time: Is Protest the Answer? - Is There a Better Way?

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