The "Unlawful Gathering" in Charlottesville
The “Unite the Right” rally took place on August 11th and 12th, 2017 in
Charlottesville, Virginia. The sole purpose of it was to object to the removal
of the Robert E. Lee statue (which represents the Confederacy) and to emphasize
white supremacy. The result ended with eleven arrests, nineteen people injured,
and one person dead. Certainly, it is no hidden fact that the rally was
organized by white supremacists (white people that believe they are superior or
dominant to other races). Anyone who is racially unbiased would know what the
Robert E. Lee statue stands for and may even agree that it should be taken
down. The protesters felt strongly against this motion and decided to exercise
the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The first Amendment
states that all persons have the right to express freedom of speech, freedom of
the press, granted the right to assemble peacefully, and to petition. The
protesters of Charlottesville, Virginia chose to exercise their freedom of
speech, which led to the Unite the Right rally. At the same time, they also disregarded
the “right to assemble peacefully” part of the amendment because of how violent
things turned during the rally. News network and website, CNN, displayed a picture of both protesters and counter-protesters
getting into physical disagreements, and as a result, another picture of
multiple paramedics on the scene helping injured victims.
A different way the
protesters of Charlottesville could have approached the situation, but still exercised
their right under The First Amendment would be starting a local or state-wide
petition or even writing a letter to a high-ranked political leader. According
to Vox.com, Virginia Governor Terry
McAuliffe declared a statewide state of emergency and already had the state National
Guard on standby to “aid state response to violence”. Without the use of physical
violence, pepper spray, and even tear gas canisters, many lives would not have
been put at risk of being injured and the tragic death of a person could have
been avoided.
These days, freedom of
speech can be taken too literal and can sometimes be the root of how things can
get out of hand. For example with the rally, the group of white supremacists
did not like what they heard what was going to happen with the Robert E. Lee
statue, so they decided to exercise one of their rights, but took it too far
when they resorted to violence.
Protests are a significant part of this country's fabric. I agree with you that one can petition the government, but often letters to government officials go unnoticed. Just think about what is happening here in Virginia; there are Congresspeople like Rob Whittman and Barbara Comstock who are afraid to hold town halls with their constituents because those people will speak out about issues they disagree with. So there begins the physical-space protests. I guess the difference is the imagery and action of the protesters? Protesting is inherently an American activity. What is counter to that is the message of continued isolation and threat of a lack of safety against those who disagree. Just compare the Unite the Right protest with the actions of hundreds of thousands of protesters with the "March for Our Lives" rally this weekend in DC. Both sides are passionate, certainly. But the Unite the Right wants to mistreat minorities and the other side wants safe schools, churches, and homes from gun violence. Both used free speech--but one certainly stepped beyond the boundaries of the 1st Amendment.
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