Philosophy and Protests

Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Aura Rosser, Stephon Clark, Bothman Jean, Alton Sterling, Eric Garner, Gabriella Nevarez, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown. This is just a fraction of the names of unarmed black Americans killed by police. 

According to a report by the Washington Post, black Americans are twice as likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts. Contrary to popular belief, of the top 20 most dangerous jobs, police and sheriff patrol officers fall #16 on the list, with 13.7 fatalities per 100,000 workers. 

The point of this article is not to preach to defund nor defend the police. It is simply a recollection of the history of civil disobedience, how this philosophy applies to the injustices we are seeing present day and where to go from here. As expected, New York Magazine has an extensive culmination of charities to donate to in support of Black Lives Matter. 

What is Civil Disobedience?

The term “civil disobedience” was coined by Henry David Thoreau in 1848 while describing his own refusal to pay state poll taxes because that money would be funding the Mexican-American war, which Thoreau found to be unjust. Thoreau spent a night in jail for this protest. In his essay, Thoreau explains that few martyrs resisting society are treated as enemies. John Rawl’s definition of civil disobedience states, “civil disobedience is a public, non-violent and conscientious breach of law undertaken with the aim of bringing about a change in laws or government policies.” In contrast, an uncivil act would be showing no concern for the safety or well-being of ordinary citizens. 

In Plato’s Apology, a scene is depicted where Socrates’ friend, Crito, attempts to break Socrates out of jail to avoid execution. Crito presents four arguments to Socrates for why he should avoid execution. Crito’s arguments are 1) He is leaving his friends, 2) Socrates’ death will reflect badly on his friends, by making it appear that they didn’t offer the money for his escape. 3) By accepting his punishment, Socrates is aiding those that unjustly prosecuted him and 4) He is leaving his sons fatherless. Unsurprisingly, Socrates has an answer to all of Crito’s arguments and convinces him to call off the escape. Socrates’ trial was reported to have happened in 399 BC and might be one of the earliest acts of civil disobedience in philosophy before the term was even created. 

Morally Breaking the Law 

In the 1980s, my father was imprisoned in Havana, Cuba for speaking poorly of the Castro Regime and expressing his desire to leave the island. At the time, simply speaking negatively about the communist party was illegal. My father took his week-long prison sentence and expedited his plans to leave Cuba, albeit more quietly. This personal example is a  small-scale act of civil disobedience.  

On April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to his critics for his actions in Birmingham, Alabama that led to his arrest. King was arrested on Good Friday after violating an anti-protest injunction. In 1963, Birmingham was a dangerous place for black Americans to live in. These anti-protest laws would not stop King. In his letter, he wrote, "I would agree with Saint Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all.'" King’s actions and philosophy around protesting is an example we’ve been hearing everyone use in an attempt to nullify the efforts people are making present day. King and his fellow activists would’ve joined the protests happening in outrage from George Floyd’s and Jacob Blake’s deaths.

Violence vs Non-violence 

It is important to remember that outliers don't define a movement. For example, the suffragettes are not historically recalled as being members of a violent movement, although there were some who committed violent crimes. Of the violent suffragettes, the most notable one is Kitty Marion. As a former actress herself, Marion campaigned against the sexual harassment of actresses. She civilly broke the law multiple times, by standing on New York’s streets and selling the “Birth Control Review,” a magazine by Margaret Sanger. However, Marion didn’t always follow the dictates of civil disobedience. She acted violently by orchestrating nationwide arson in her fight for women’s rights. As much as people have tried to erase Marion from history, her name remains. She did not give up after women were granted the right to vote in 1920 (US) and 1918 (UK). She continued to fight for women’s bodily autonomy. 

Many of the protests we’ve seen this year are perfect examples of Thoreau's version of civil disobedience. In our current protests for racial justice, the good outweighs the bad. Once justice is found for the countless innocent black lives lost, history will report on what was accomplished versus the few acts of destruction and looting. Even if that is wishful thinking, we have seen that example repeat itself in the Suffragettes’ and King’s work. 

Hypocrisy 

Since the Boston Tea Party, this country has lived through countless examples of civil disobedience that have proven successful. American history is riddled with examples that if you do not agree with people in positions of power and the laws they pass, you must make them uncomfortable and cause some chaos to make a change. Most critics of these protests are acting hypocritically and attempting to cleverly hide their true racist beliefs. The media does a wonderful job of singling out these few cases of arson and violent acts within majorly peaceful protests. This confirmation bias also rings true with the lack of coverage towards acts of violence that are instigated by police officers. 

I’m not sure what to provide going forward, as less than 3 months from Floyd’s death, Blake was shot seven times by police officers. I believe history shows us that change can happen, with patience and resistance to the tactics of the media and police force to silence a nation at large.