Dr. King

[L Verge]

As we remember the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am remembering 50 years ago when I was first really introduced to rioting up close. I was a teacher at the time with almost four years under my belt in dealing with 8th and 9th graders. I was skilled at talking about our patriotic forefathers "rioting" at the Boston Tea Party and the Baltimore Riots of 1861, and maybe had paid brief attention to other riots far away. All of a sudden, however, these riots were too close for comfort.

My apartment was about 100 yards from the DC/Maryland border, and my school was approximately two miles from that border in another direction. I would soon have a very good view of thick, black smoke rising up out of the Washington, D.C. that I had grown up visiting on almost a weekly basis. I had never realized that there was such tension in the few parts that I never ventured into - nor such hatred on the part of some residents. I knew about the divide "down South" because it was prominent in the media, but I must have missed what was at my own back door.

As if the burning of large portions of D.C. wasn't enough, I was also awakened to martial law. Because of the close proximity to the city line, our school became a command center for several police units. Teachers had to report for duty, but the students stayed home for a number of days.

It was sort of freaky to not be able to go to the teachers' lounge for a cup of coffee or to use a real bathroom. The lounge was now filled with cots and men so that the manpower could remain on site and rotate duties. I was actually engaged to a county policeman at the time, but he was stationed at the police academy about a mile away. I did not see him or talk to him for over a week.

I still try to fully understand the riot mindset that the 50s and 60s ingrained in us. I have watched Washington, DC struggle to rebuild -- and it has taken about forty years. I watched the orchestrated riots during our last inauguration. Will we ever grow smart enough to dispense with the senseless violence and rely on common sense, the skills of peaceful protests and the democratic way to achieve progress?

[Rsmyth]

I’ve been to the mountaintop … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land."
Change to social injustice moves glacier like. If you look back to the sixties, what has changed? Civil rights, the Vietnam war... Some might say we have regressed.
What have we learned since Columbine? Mourn, pray, repeat. What has peaceful protesting ever accomplished? What has violent protests or action ever accomplished? Two things that I can think of; protest of the British tea tax and the raid on Harper's Ferry. When government does not listen, what do the people do?

[L Verge]

I’ve been to the mountaintop … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land."
Change to social injustice moves glacier like. If you look back to the sixties, what has changed? Civil rights, the Vietnam war... Some might say we have regressed.
What have we learned since Columbine? Mourn, pray, repeat. What has peaceful protesting ever accomplished? What has violent protests or action ever accomplished? Two things that I can think of; protest of the British tea tax and the raid on Harper's Ferry. When government does not listen, what do the people do?

Rich - I don't know what answer I/we should give, but personally I don't think anarchy is the answer - and Dr. King certainly did not advocate civil unrest. To me, that's what set him apart from the more radical civil rights groups.

Perhaps an informed citizenry who take advantage of educational opportunities, pay attention to real political issues (i.e. not salacious scandal), and vote for a well-organized republic (not democracy) as our learned forefathers envisioned?

[AussieMick]

I am in broad agreement with you, Laurie. The danger with civil unrest is its uncontrolled nature. It is too easy for demagogues and fanatics to gain the upper hand and manipulate the actions of the gullible. Germany in the 1920s and 1930s for example.

There is obviously an argument to be made that an immoral regime sometimes gains power and uses that power to crush opponents. The only option must be to use reasonable force to counter that power (without harming the innocent). 1776 was an example. Its debatable but I think the so called "Troubles" in Northern Ireland was another example ... civil unrest was OK, but the bombing violence was an example of what is unacceptable.

In between these extremes are instances where the elected government of the day is refusing to take action which seems to be essential for the good of most of the community. I believe that a civilized society consists of concerned citizens who campaign peacefully and express their arguments without violence.

I am concerned though with the way social media and the Press and Tv and radio seem to seek to manipulate opinions by twisting people's speeches and taking comments out of context and photo-shopping images. I do think that many young people are easily sucked in and manipulated and quick to believe whatever seems 'compassionate' and Green.

Maybe schools should be encouraging more critical and analytical thinking, identifying assumptions, fallacies, and straw man arguments. Sometimes being a cynic is the best way to go.

[LincolnMan]

I was living in Detroit during the riot of 1967. Even today the city has not rebounded from everything the riot did. Fortunately there are plenty of us who care about the city and we are trying to make positive changes in our own ways. I wonder to myself was the riot worth it? Probably not.