Scholars, I’m sure that you’ve heard about the protests happening in the City of Berkeley, currently, I am torn apart.
On one side, there are the protesters that are making their demands and chanting to have their voices heard, on the other side there is the police, equipped with riot gear in preparation for a riot. To begin with, these opinions are of what I see and believe, though I have chosen not to view the protests because I do not support the way they will turn out, I have something to say about why it turned out that way.
People took to the streets wanting to their support for solidarity due to the recent events of the Brown case and the Garner case, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, once the police arrived it was the manner in which a few individuals acted that only called for trouble. At one point the crowd chanted, asking for the police to join them in solidarity, however, a few people were making obscene and lewd gestures to the police which would only instigate harsh actions. When the police requested that the protesters clear the roads for vehicles to pass and the protesters refused, the protest was declared unlawful.
A lot changed quickly, from the crowd asking the police to join them, to the crowd yelling out profanity towards the police. Neither side stayed without action, the police used batons, rubber bullets and tear gas, the protesters, or should I say instigators because they were no longer part of the crowd because they were the few ones tagging police vehicles, throwing rocks, looting buildings, and setting fires.
To say this, I am not fully informed, the protesters are not fully informed and the police are not fully informed. The fighting that ensued is the greatest example of “Us vs. Them”. Placing either side against each other. That is to say, the outcome of this protest was not peaceful in the least bit. But what upsets me the most is all those who are affected by the protest and not part of it. My friend called me asking me to stay the night at my room because the tear gas entered his room. Many homes have had their bins set on fire. This goes on. There has to be some else that can be done.
