When it comes to making changes in the U.S., most of the time it takes more than one person.
Many drastic shifts in the past have resulted from individuals coming together to protest and convince others to help make desirable changes.
“One of the purposes of a protest is that it is a public statement,” said Chris Banks, a local activist who helps organize major protests. “When someone goes to a protest, they’re overcoming disempowerment, and for the first time recognizing the power of the people.”
Banks is a leading member of the Party for Social and Liberation’s branch in Albuquerque.
The PSL is a socialist party and activist organization that acknowledges and protests struggles that affect those who feel oppressed.
“The civil rights movement was the product of bitter struggle of people protesting in a massive way. The women’s rights movement is the same way...it was the product of the bitter struggle of protesting,” he said. “The anti-war movement is another great example. It created restraint on those ruling class parties, democratic and republican, to wage war.”
Banks emphasized how the Black Lives Matter movement was able to get former presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton to speak about racism, mass incarceration and police brutality.
“The only reason it was on the agenda was because of the protest movement which began in Ferguson and spread around the country,” he said. “We in the PSL support any community that is justly opposing racism, poverty and disenfranchisement.”
Banks addressed the fact that not all protesting movements were seen as peaceful and justified.
“The view, mainly from the rich, is that protesting does not work, or can discredit a movement, because it makes the movement look radical or violent,” he said. “There is an attempt, usually by right-wing forces, to discredit protests as being disruptive, blocking traffic or looking radical.”
During protests, police and other authorities may be present which, according to Banks, can be seen as provocative by the protesters themselves.
“What we have seen and experienced in Albuquerque and witnessed elsewhere is that the police have a hostile attitude towards communities demanding justice,” he said. “The police will come to a peaceful protest...dressed for battle. When the protesters are confronted for exercising their constitutional guaranteed rights by an armed military force, that is more provocative than anything else.”
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Banks said that in that scenario, when authorities show up to a peaceful protest, it tends to escalate the situation.
“The message then is not to protect the protesters, it is that they are there to confront the protesters,” he said. “If what we want is a de-escalation, then having a militarized armed presence at a protest is the exact opposite of what should be done.”
Banks encourages college students and oppressed individuals to stay politically active.
Katherine Walker, a freshman in English, said she thinks protests can be effective, but need better execution and representation.
“The way people go about it can be too emotional instead of tactical,” she said. “They are seen societally as something bad, so it’s hard to break that connotation.”
Banks said the “most important thing” to do now is to join organizations as well as build new ones.
“Begging Republican and Democratic politicians to do the right thing has not worked. We must protest,” he said.
Jeremy Cassidy, a senior biology major, said protesting is not a bad thing — it just needs to be more direct.
“Protests are a good way to show awareness, but don’t accomplish much,” Cassidy said. “They need to have a purpose, a problem and a way to fix it instead of just stating the problem. People need to get educated, on why our government is run by billionaires and the effects of it.”
Walker said there are other ways people could discuss and learn about issues.
“Forget political socialization,” she said. “We are here to be the future leaders of this country, so we should start acting like it and becoming active to cause change in the future. Our voices will matter if we want them to. We have to stay optimistic, skeptical and remember that the power belongs to the people.”
Megan Nyce is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Megznham.
