Ryan Johnson

College Prep English

Ms. Tamez
5/4/17

Protests

With the recent election, there have been a lot of liberal protests against our

nations president, and what he wants to do to help our country. Most of the triggered

protesters are a part of movements or groups with names that spread across the media.

For example, after a cop shot a thug who attacked police officers, the

#BlackLivesMatter group took to the streets. They looted businesses, vandalized

property, and created violent riots in the streets. This essay will be discussing the

morals and ethics behind protests.

First I would like to talk about the use of force when cops have to deal with out of

control protesters. There is a fine line between a peaceful protest and a riot. Almost

every peaceful protest that we have seen in the past few months have not been very

peaceful. Burning cars, smoke bombs, and violent clashes between the riot police and

the protesters have plagued the news. What is the right way to confront out-of-control

protester? In my opinion, anyone that is being violent, poses a threat, or is destroying

property/looting should be taken down by the police with as much source necessary.

Pepper spray, tear gas, and taking people down by hand are current methods used by

most police forces nationwide. Morally, the methods seem fair and because of the

aggressiveness of the protesters, an appropriate approach to crowd control.

Another topic that would bring up the protesting being ethically or morally right

would be why the protesters are protesting. A lot of people nowadays protest over things
that arent issues, such as the wage gap between males and females. Different

domestic groups such as the BLM movement and the Antifa should be considered

hostile and dangerous to our society. These groups have turned peaceful marches into

clashes between the police and the protesters. There are good and bad reasons to

protest. If our government were to take all of our freedoms, everyone would protest. If a

cop shoots an African American man that is resisting arrest and poses a threat to the

cops life, it would be wrong to protest. People need to be educated on what is right and

wrong in situations like that.

Another issue with the ethics of protesting is looting and destroying businesses.

In the past few years. The BLM movement has reacted to thugs with guns and a

tendency to resist the police with looting stores, smashing windows, and starting cars on

fire in the streets. I think that we need to work to find a solution to keep looters out of

buildings and bigger, more serious punishments for those who violate buildings and

other peoples property.

A solution to the violent protests in recent years is to increase the spending on

riot police equipment and vehicles. They have prototype vehicles that use soundwaves

to disperse violent protesters or rioters. The soundwaves are loud enough impact

people a few hundred yards away and are harmless. Our country has started to use

armored vehicles with water cannons on the top to discourage rioters from resisting.

Another method to discourage people from rioting is intensifying the punishment for

rioting or violently protesting. The current punishment is a minimum of two years and a

fine to help pay for damage done. If the prison time was increased, people would be

less likely to riot and protest out of fear of jail time.