As I have written in previous posts, protest is actually the weakest of the methods of nonviolent resistance, because it by itself does not apply effective pressure to an oppressor. It is also a dangerous method to use when the oppressor has an understanding of how nonviolent struggle works, because the oppressor can then inject violence into what started as an act of nonviolent resistance. Once the oppressor is able to inject violence into a nonviolent movement, it becomes much easier for the oppressor to justify the use of violent state repression against the nonviolent movement. For more on this, please read the excellent Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, by Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan. Or just watch some of the YouTube videos of Erica Chenoweth.
This is why I am highly suspicious of the violent actors (mostly white; see this also) who have invaded the nonviolent protests by African-Americans against police brutality. (Note that the second source I just cited has reported that many of the looters and rioters who have attacked businesses in St. Paul owned by people of color and immigrants over the last two days have been white people from out of town.) Over the last three or so years, we have witnessed time and time again the provocative actions of the Antifa who show up uninvited to protests by people with legitimate grievances in order to turn those protests violent. Thus the Antifa turns the protest away from a voicing of legitimate grievances by an oppressed group in order to focus attention solely on the Antifa (and to provoke outrageous reactions in their opponents by means of the outrageous actions of the Antifa). Therefore, the destruction which is now happening in many parts of the country is not about police brutality against African-Americans, or about the brutality of ICE against Latinos, or about any actual grievance of any oppressed dark-skinned minority groups in the United States.
Based on what I have read and heard about strategic nonviolent resistance, I would like to offer a hypothesis. First, I believe that the Antifa is funded by the same people who put Donald Trump into power. Second, I believe that the real purpose of the Antifa is to provide a pretext for Donald Trump to impose martial law on the United States (or at least to boost his chances for re-election). Third, I believe the Antifa has managed to infiltrate even some organizations whose ostensible mission is to teach strategic nonviolent resistance. (See this, for instance. By the way, the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict needs to take out some trash. Seriously.) By engaging in violence, the Antifa is actually strengthening the pillars of support of Donald Trump in a day in which those pillars of support should be weakening due to his incompetence and malignancy. And I think (because it has been explained to them time and time again) that the leaders of the Antifa know all these things. This is yet further evidence that the Antifa is not really about opposing fascism.
So for those who want to support communities of color in these times, please listen to the voices of some of the most prominent members of those communities of color (here, here, and here, for instance). Do not engage in mass protest. Let it be seen clearly who the agents of violence actually are. Instead of protest, study how to build effective organizing skills in order to liberate yourselves from oppression without the use of violence.
One thing just occurred to me - maybe I'll make up some bumper stickers and hand them out to friends. The stickers could say something like
THE ANTIFA IS PAID FOR BY TRUMP
or,
ANTIFA: PAID FOR BY TRUMP
Hmm...
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