Our View: Peaceful protests deliver most effective message

Editorial Staff

As the Oval Office passed from Barack Obama to President Donald Trump this weekend, millions flocked to Washington, D.C. to participate in the accompanying festivities. While many visited to celebrate Trump’s November victory, countless more filled the streets to voice their displeasure with the current commander-in-chief.

Inauguration Day saw a series of violent protests erupt – most notably, the shattering of windows at a Starbucks and Bank of America. More than 200 people were arrested, with several demonstrators and police officers sustaining injuries.

While many of those involved were anarchists, the scenes from Washington certainly portrayed a riot rather than a protest.

The following day, millions across the globe congregated for the Women’s March, a civil rights demonstration that displayed solidarity in the face of the incoming administration. The march – which is estimated to be the largest protest in America’s history – yielded zero arrests.

The Women’s March was decidedly more effective than the protests the day prior. The message of Saturday’s attendees was clear: Countless will stand in solidarity against Trump’s discriminatory and vile rhetoric. Without acting destructively, the sheer mass of the crowds at the march gripped onlookers home and abroad.

It juxtaposed the protests of Inauguration Day, which were unorganized and served no clear purpose. Reckless violence only deepens the divide among Americans, and this case was no different.

Participants in the Women’s March should take pride; at a time when civil discourse appears to do very little, the mere voices of millions of men and women of varying backgrounds delivered the most impactful message of the weekend.