Massachusetts

[Michelle Pickard]

In Massachusetts, police arrested 29 men who shut down two major sections of highway in Boston "during the morning rush hour to protest the recent killings by U.S. police of unarmed black men." Not only was this during rush hour, they chained themselves to concrete blocks. One of the organizers commented, "'Our nonviolent direct action is meant to expose the reality that Boston is a city where white commuters and students use the city and leave, while black and brown communities are targeted by police, exploited and displaced." While this might have been their goal, they put other people in danger. It was a protest "to confront white complacency in the systemic oppression of black people in Boston" It's so unfortunate and heartbreaking that this is an issue, but that doesn't change the fact that it is. We need to deal with it and fight for it, sure. But there are so many other ways to do that. One article on this particular protest said that there was an ambulance carrying a victim of a car wreck earlier that morning who had serious injuries and had to be detoured to another hospital. The patient survived, thankfully, but by doing something as drastic as blocking off two sections of I-93, they put others in danger. Sure, Boston is a commuter city, but it's not only for white people. I guarantee that people of every race were effected by the blockage.

Finding more peaceful ways to deal with these issues is possible. People don't have to run around vandalizing streets, buildings, cars, blocking off roads, etc to make a point. It may not make the front page, but it will make a difference. I am a firm believer in the power of communication and the power that we, as American citizens hold. We have the power to make a difference. I think that's something that gets swept under the rug most of the time. Think about it, if everyone realized the power that they posess to change something - peacefully - our world would be a much different place. Especially as Christ-followers, we have the power even more so. We are called to be stewards of this world, in peace, and, if our command is to love and be stewards, we should be merging the two together. Those who don't know that Love, can't know to protest in peace. The defintion of protest is this: an expression of objection by words or by actions to particular events, policies, or situations. What would it look like if we used our words to communicate our disagreements instead of acting out in destruction?

http://news.yahoo.com/protests-against-police-violence-briefly-clos...

http://news.yahoo.com/boston-area-highway-blocked-protesters-144238...

[Kristi Krock]

Michelle, 

Thank you for sharing this situation with us. I feel like my thoughts could go a myriad of different directions, so I will try to limit them for the coherence of this post. I am so burdened that racial tensions are still a huge issue today. Americans often think that we have come so far, only to be reminded every few years of how far we have to go. I'm thankful that we have a God who gives grace, for we cannot be perfect people– which is why there is disunity. One of my biggest fears in this life is apathy. Apathy in me, in my friends, in my family, in Christians, in society. That being said, I am thankful that these people are at least doing something. Although there are many better ways to impact and change culture (what you said about communication was on point), I find that I would much rather have people in America do this as opposed to feeing a little upset and doing nothing. You're right, we can make a change. Unfortunately, it seems that millennials are still trying to find out the best way to do that in America. 

(A side note: Maybe the frustration that the protestors elicited in all of the commuters and city workers was meant to reflect the frustration that the African American community feels in response to recent events. If so, I think they were successful.)

[Rafael Bernardes Garcia]

Michelle,

This is an interesting article. While I agree with you that communication is a great way of resolving situations like these, I also support the position of those protestants. I come from Brazil, a country that has a lot of corruption. I have learned to appreciate protests such as the one in Boston, because sometimes it takes that to change things around. About a year and a half ago, I saw massive numbers of people going to the streets of Brazil to protest against some of the positions our president had taken. Yes, it was chaotic. Yes, there was vandalism. However, this huge movement of people and protestants exposed Brazil to the rest of the world, which forced our government to make some changes. If it wasnt for the prostestants, these changes would have never happened. That's the beauty of democracy, to have freedom to agree or disagree, and to have the right to fight and protest for the rights of citizens.