Tag Archives: protest

Policing police at Davis

Nearly a year after a campus police office at the University of California pepper sprayed students nonviolently protesting against tuition hikes–under the banner of Occupy–the University has reached a settlement with the students.  The LA Times reports that the police … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A protest is a threat (the Komen debacle)

It’s never just the demonstration that brings about change.  Rather, it’s the larger actions that demonstrators promise (and authorities fear) that lead to concessions.  Demonstrators threaten to storm the barricades, stop paying taxes, or vote, or contribute money.  Their targets … Continue reading

Posted in countermovements, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Roe v. Wade commemorations, 2012

Last year, anti-abortion and abortion rights activists staged demonstrations commemorating (or protesting) the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.  Below is last year’s post, which ends with the prediction of large demonstrations next year.  That’s today.  And today: both … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Occupy Congress

Sooner or later activists in any American movement confront the possibility of trying to adjust the thermostat, and not just the climate. On Tuesday, January 17, when members of Congress return to Washington, DC, they’ll be met by Occupiers.  There … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Remembering the present: Guantanamo protests and a decade of detention

President Obama didn’t keep his campaign promise to close the American prison for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay.  Yesterday marked Gitmo’s 10th anniversary.  The camp on Cuba, conveniently perhaps outside the jurisdiction of normal legal procedures in the United States, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Is protest contagious?

As the year comes to an end, unexpected and potentially powerful protest movements are appearing in unexpected places, including China, Russia, and Syria, threatening to topple regimes and change the world. Protest movements seem to appear in a spate.  Arab … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Occupy to office

Tracy Postert’s protests with Occupy Wall Street led rather directly to a job inside nearby.  Ms. Postert, a biochemist with a Ph.D., had suffered bouts of unemployment over the years, and had a hard time finding another job in science.  … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wall Street, mass arrests, and media

Mass arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge are a good way for a protest campaign to break into mainstream media nationally.  Although Occupy Wall Street got some coverage in national outlets over the past two weeks, international news provided more extensive … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Suppose they held a protest, and no one saw

A little follow-up on our last item about a few Republican members of the House returning to their districts and holding public events only for paying customers, uh, constituents.  In addition to raising money, the members of Congress were trying … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Protest, tolerance, and stability

Liberal democracies adopt some degree of tolerance for organized protest.  Demonstrations of hundreds of thousands on the Washington Mall are permitted, protected, and scheduled.  They take place routinely with no threat to the stability of the Republic.  This was, as … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment