We all have the right to assemble and protest peacefully.
This sacred freedom has long been under threat in the United States, yet not as long as the constant threat to black lives. Black lives continue to be taken without consequence, and our right to protest the systems, laws, policy, and people involved is as important as ever. Protest is recognized as a human right because it gives voice to those who otherwise cannot or are not heard.
When black and brown people in the United States protest injustice, police and the military show up to quash their protests and their voices in high and disproportionate numbers, resulting in arrests and physical abuse. When white people in the United States protest en masse, the response is the opposite. Time and time again, this disproportionate response appears in the history books.
And in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic and unjust murder, people protesting in the United States are met with continued - and escalating - brutality and violence. Indeed this violence is exacerbated by the reprehensible rhetoric of the President of the United States, culminating in peaceful protesters harmed, gravely injured with rubber bullets, and tear gassed in private citizen’s homes. A toddler has even had a weapon aimed in their face. The Attorney General went so far as to order an attack on peaceful protesters for a photo opportunity - a blatantly unconstitutional act and an unquestionable violation of human rights.
International guidelines on policing assemblies are consistently ignored. For example, if a protest is marred by sporadic violence, the police have a duty to remove the troublemakers and the peaceful protesters maintain their rights - not just to disperse everyone wholesale.
In a time when certain officials continue to delegitimize peaceful protest, defending this right is more important than ever.
The Article 20 Network does not merely stand in solidarity with our black and brown brothers and sisters. We are equipping Americans - tired, angry, frustrated, sad, and willing to do anything to make the injustice end – with the tools to change the dialog, to protest safely, to know their rights, and to get aid when their human right to free assembly has been violated.
Black lives matter. The fight to protect black lives continues on a scale we haven’t seen in a generation. We will not let up until racist police brutality is eradicated by the voices of the people.
Alongside our partners, the Article 20 Network is providing tools for activists to assemble safely; distributing educational materials to parents, middle school and high school teachers to help young people make sense of it all; and providing helping protesters whose rights have been violated through our Protester Helpline.
Black lives matter. It is our fundamental and inalienable right to protest and demand racial justice.