Peaceful resistance to laws positively impact a free society as long as such resistance doesn’t infringe on other’s rights not to protest.
No matter where you lie on the political spectrum, there must be some issue that would really get you fired up. Something that would have you streaking paint across cardboard, tying the laces on a pair of tennis shoes, and marching on the streets to the beat of spirited chants. For many, protests that do not highlight issues important to them specifically appear to be unnecessary, extravagant, and self-entitled. Perhaps for this reason, the marches and riots for black rights that have taken place over the past couple years, have confused and angered many. If your own rights aren’t being threatened, what …show more content…
These spring from a certain flaw in peaceful resistance that, if not avoided, inhibits the positive good that such resistance does to a free society. Protesters, marchers, and rioters all tend to infringe on the right to not protest at times. Proponents of civil disobedience often argue that interfering with people’s lives is necessary in order to get their messages across to an apathetic society. Yet, such interference, when it encroaches on other’s right not to be out on the streets, has resulted in concerns among legislators. In North Dakota, the bill HB 1203 was introduced by Representative Keith Kempenich after Dakota Access Pipeline protestors blocked main roadways. Such a bill deems that if a protestor was to be injured by an oncoming car as he blocked traffic, the driver would not be liable for damages. Essentially, the bill aims to pointedly hint that if a protestor is blocking people from driving and going about with their daily lives, the protestor should be prepared to possibly be hit by a car. If you’re on the road, you’re putting yourself in a risky situation, or so the argument goes. While it sounds harsh as first, it’s important to remember that hundreds of peaceful protests occur after notifying local law enforcement, on streets that have specifically been cleared for an assembly. There is a proper method to the …show more content…
In the years following, however, other liberties were at stake as well. Protestors must remember the Ninth Amendment in this case; enumerating certain rights does not disparage
No matter where you lie on the political spectrum, there must be some issue that would really get you fired up. Something that would have you streaking paint across cardboard, tying the laces on a pair of tennis shoes, and marching on the streets to the beat of spirited chants. For many, protests that do not highlight issues important to them specifically appear to be unnecessary, extravagant, and self-entitled. Perhaps for this reason, the marches and riots for black rights that have taken place over the past couple years, have confused and angered many. If your own rights aren’t being threatened, what …show more content…
These spring from a certain flaw in peaceful resistance that, if not avoided, inhibits the positive good that such resistance does to a free society. Protesters, marchers, and rioters all tend to infringe on the right to not protest at times. Proponents of civil disobedience often argue that interfering with people’s lives is necessary in order to get their messages across to an apathetic society. Yet, such interference, when it encroaches on other’s right not to be out on the streets, has resulted in concerns among legislators. In North Dakota, the bill HB 1203 was introduced by Representative Keith Kempenich after Dakota Access Pipeline protestors blocked main roadways. Such a bill deems that if a protestor was to be injured by an oncoming car as he blocked traffic, the driver would not be liable for damages. Essentially, the bill aims to pointedly hint that if a protestor is blocking people from driving and going about with their daily lives, the protestor should be prepared to possibly be hit by a car. If you’re on the road, you’re putting yourself in a risky situation, or so the argument goes. While it sounds harsh as first, it’s important to remember that hundreds of peaceful protests occur after notifying local law enforcement, on streets that have specifically been cleared for an assembly. There is a proper method to the …show more content…
In the years following, however, other liberties were at stake as well. Protestors must remember the Ninth Amendment in this case; enumerating certain rights does not disparage