It seems like the protestors have lost faith in the democratic process. Can you still call it a democratic protest?
It is either a democratic protest, domestic terrorism, or a civil war. I hope with all my being that it is a democratic protest.
Tell that to the police. The current "don't use violence" rhetoric is cleverly being aimed at the protestors and seems to be giving a consistent pass to the other side's behavior. In many cases, these guys are suited up like shock troops, visibly excited and ready to bust skulls, and when they're unleashed they are going to find skulls (peaceful or not) to bust. This is a system that only knows how to use violent escalation to solve problems, and lo and behold, they're out there bringing on the violence. The protests are about police brutality, and the police are coming in and using the only tool they know: brutality. But it's OK because someone somewhere else is burning down a Target?
> To use it is effective acknowledgement that you either want to destroy the democracy or do not believe that it actually exists on the moment.
From your wording you seem to be agreeing that the police also "want to destroy the democracy".
I imagine that many people on those current protests believe they aren't in one either (or, at least, if one exists they are cast out of it). I'm in no position to judge if they are right, but on the case they are not, violence is no means to do a democratic protest.
If you want to change the way things are inside the system vote, organize, protest. But actually seeking to overthrow the government is opening a whole can of very, very bad things.
We have a democracy. People have opportunities to vote. Police policy is decided largely at the local level, so individual votes are powerful. Imagine if even 10% of protesters voted in their local elections...
You can also see dirty tricks at local council meetings, where those in authority abuse the meeting’s rules of order to quickly shut down anyone speaking up about problems that those in authority don’t want addressed.
Precisely. People have been voting and non-violently protesting for decades, and it hasn't worked.
Think about all of the left-wing voters in a very Red congressional district or state. Think of all the right wing voters in a very Blue district or state. They are not officially disenfranchised, but their vote doesn't really matter either, so why vote at all? The equation changes somewhat for swing states/districts, but even then it's often a lesser of two evils choice, rather than any major progression towards policy goals. There are some democracies that mitigate some of these issues (getting rid of the electoral college and first past the post would go a long way in the US), but in general democracy leaves a lot of people dissatisfied.
If your major disagreement with the status quo is the tax rate, or certain business regulations, your dissatisfaction with the democratic process is manageable. If your major disagreement with the status quo is police brutality and injustice that make your life miserable, then what is the downside to rioting and destruction? Maybe there's only a tiny chance that something good will come out of it, but it's better than a zero percent chance of enacting change by continuing to vote and lose elections.
