How does protest work

And in my own research of the civil rights protests , I found evidence of less racism and more support for affirmative action among white people from counties that had peaceful protests. However, peaceful protests in other contexts — such as the anti-Vietnam War movement , the environmental movement and the Occupy Wall Street movement — have been less effective in moving public opinion.

For instance, concern about the environment has stayed relatively stable despite growing activism. One big unknown is whether media coverage of the violence associated with some of the current protests might end up undermining support for the broader movement. A recent study by Princeton University political scientist Omar Wasow suggests that could happen. But there is some research that pushes back on this.

Instead, they found that the protests may have led to an increase in support for funding local public schools. Similarly, the Black Lives Matter protests following the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner by police officers seemed to have led to decreased racial resentment among white Americans — especially among younger people — even though there was violence associated with some of the protests.

Departments Respond With Force Anyway. One important thing to remember here is that minority-led protests historically tend to draw more of a police presence than predominantly white protests, and the police are often more likely to use force against minority-led protests.

There does seem to be some consensus in the literature that many protests are successful in spurring institutional change, at least at the federal level. Protests can take the form of marches, sit-ins, boycotts, and include speeches, music, chanting, performance art, poetry, using symbols, holding signs and confronting people, assembling near symbols and in places of significance to the cause e.

Protests are among the many strategies people use to engage in activism and organizing, with the goal of enacting change. Other ways to engage in activism include advocacy for legislation, public awareness campaigns, raising funds, gaining support through social media, among others. Non-violent resistance also called civil disobedience is a form of protest.

This type of protest is characterized by people engaging in a symbolic protest or peacefully refusing to cooperate. An example of non-violent resistance are the sit-ins that began in as part of the Civil Rights Movement. The sit-ins spread to other college towns in the South.

Many of the protesters were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace. In the U. The government may limit the time, place and manner, but the restrictions must be reasonable and fair. The government cannot forbid you and others from assembling to discuss or protest issues. However, since the First Amendment also stipulates that protests be peaceful, violent protesting is a violation of the law.

Sometimes looting i. These actions may be taken by protesters or non-protesters i. Even though these activities are rare, they can be magnified by the media and others to garner attention and become a distraction from the focus of the protests.

Throughout history, there have been times when law enforcement engaged in crackdowns on peaceful protests. According to the ACLU , "In some cases, police crack down on demonstrations through mass arrests, illegal use of force, or curfews. The United States has a long history of protest and activism. Young people have often been at the center of those protests. In addition to the current protests about systemic racism, the largest protests in U.

Skip Navigation. This vision should be suitably specific and the goals should create both a short-term and long-term roadmap for achieving the vision. This clarity makes it easier for the public, potential partners and states to engage with your movement. Go international — Working towards the development of transnational solidarity movements can strengthen your cause and place greater pressure on those who have access to the levers of power.

Movements that connect internationally also have the benefits of information-sharing and greater coordination across borders. Be clear — It is crucial that your movement has a clearly defined vision and both short-term and long-term and aims that will lead to the achievement of your vision. As a protest leader, it is your job to ensure that the vision and goals are created, they are clear and, importantly, they are representative of the movement as a whole.

This can be done through including members in decision-making or relying on consensus based decision-making, in which leaders simply facilitate the process. Be representative — Becoming a leader of a movement could happen organically, or through a formalised internal election.

It is important, regardless of the process, that your leadership is representative of the movement and its wishes. This means that you should be in constant dialogue with members to ensure that no decision is taken against the will of members.

This will help legitimise your leadership. Quick, reasoned responses are key. Be prepared — It is your job to identify any risks that may affect members and educate them accordingly.

This may involve education about rights when arrested, avoiding the effects of less-lethal weapons such as teargas and what to expect of protest spaces in general if people are inexperienced. It is important that you know what the law requires of protest movements in terms of notification or route marking and that you take steps to comply unless these procedures are excessively repressive.

It is your job to lead the conceptualisation of these creative campaigns, strategise about new ways of approaching the problem and foster dialogue amongst members.

Be aware — Movements are often made up of members from all walks of life, who experience different forms of discrimination and violence daily. It is important that leadership understands these inequalities, listens to differing views and experiences and provides tailored, additional support structures where necessary.

Collaborate — Ensure that you are constantly building relationships with the leaders of other movements and organisations that could be partners in the future. It is also crucial to set a collaboration agenda that clearly sets out what needs your movement has, the kinds of partners you are looking for and the terms under which you will collaborate. Be supportive — Grassroots movements and protest movements are often the driving forces of social change.

Because of this it is important to support them. This involves offering whatever assistance your organisation can, even if it is something as small as booking a meeting venue for a movement or performing administrative tasks. This supporting role should not be diminished by any antagonism or mistrust that movements may exhibit towards your organisation.

Offering support is a way of winning trust in the long term. Be dynamic — A relationship with a protest movement may start out as one thing and transform into something different as a changing context demands new types of support. The kinds of adaptation that may be required include the transition from publicly supporting a movement to doing so without any branding or official affiliation, in cases of backlash against the partnership from counter-movements.

Take direction — Collaboration with protest movements should be done in a respectful and open manner. It is important to listen to movements when they describe their needs and goal. Your organisation should not attempt to dictate strategies or hijack a movement.

Your organisation should recognise that it is working together with a movement, rather than one working for one another. Movements are not subservient to formalised civil society simply because they are not professionalised or funded. Be flexible — Because the circumstances in which protests occur change quickly, it is important that your organisation is flexible with the assistance it provides to protest movements.

This is particularly true when that assistance is financial. Often financial assistance requires that the money be used for specific costs, but as circumstances change this may not make immediate sense.

Instead, you should be flexible and understanding of changing needs, as long as basic reporting requirements for funding are fulfilled. Be open — Many protest movements are distrustful of civil society organisations because they are perceived as being too closely aligned to states or as receiving funding from sources seen as compromised.

It is important to be open about the ties your organisation may have to states and funders and explain how these could be used to the benefit of protest movements. Reach out — If your organisation has expertise or resources that it thinks will be beneficial to protest movements, it should offer these. Because of gaps that exist between protest movements and formalised civil society organisations, these movements will often be wary about approaching your organisation first but may be open to receiving support if you initiate the relationship.

Be flexible — International and regional civil society organisations often offer financial support to local civil society organisations and protest movements, but money often comes with stringent reporting and accounting requirements, and strict conditions on what it must be used for. Such reporting and accounting requirements often exclude protest movements from accessing support because they may not have the procedures in place for compliance.

Moreover, dictating the way that money should be used is unresponsive to changing circumstances and needs. As such, flexibility is needed. If international civil society organisations wish to be truly helpful, they should relax their requirements as much as possible when the need arises. Be realistic — When approached to partner with or assist a protest movement, international civil society organisations should be realistic about the kind of assistance they can provide and the conditions that may be attached to this.