#AtlIsReady protest takes Atlanta by storm (Dallas, Montgomery: military, office, deal)

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by primaltech

If a peaceful mass uprising that blocks the Connector is required to effect change, then so be it. They're not blocking 285 which bypasses it. It's not impossible to get around, just inconvenient.

Have you ever been stuck on a freeway before? You can't just get around it. 285 being open is irrelevant.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

Have you ever been stuck on a freeway before? You can't just get around it. 285 being open is irrelevant.

No. But I've also never had a cop put 3 holes in me because my tail light was out.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by primaltech

No. But I've also never had a cop put 3 holes in me because my tail light was out.

Ok?
Thinking that blocking traffic is an issue does NOT mean that I think it's as bad or worse than what has happened the past few days (and will likely continue to happen). They're not mutually exclusive.

[Domitian]

Originally Posted by primaltech

You can't boycott the police, people.

If a peaceful mass uprising that blocks the Connector is required to effect change, then so be it. They're not blocking 285 which bypasses it. It's not impossible to get around, just inconvenient.

If it's required in order to bring about change that could save my black friends' lives and their kids from being murdered by trigger happy officers, then so be it. I'll take this temporary inconvenience. That's just me.

the protest culture needs to learn from their 60's predecessors. Committing crimes and making like hard on people IS NOT the way to affect change. interrupting my lunch/brunch/parade/etc. IS NOT going to engender support for your cause.

Believe me, most people find the unjustified killing of ANYONE of ANY COLOR abhorrent, un-American, and inhumane. However, most people believe in law, order, and justice and don't automatically default to disruption and criminal destruction.

Peacefully demonstrate and I'll listen. Impede my progress or Infringe on my rights and I'm automatically against you and your cause.

[whodean]

Just who do the protestoras think they are protesting against in Atlanta?. Do these imbeciles know which color runs the police here?

[captaincatfish]

Originally Posted by Domitian

the protest culture needs to learn from their 60's predecessors. Committing crimes and making like hard on people IS NOT the way to affect change. interrupting my lunch/brunch/parade/etc. IS NOT going to engender support for your cause.

Believe me, most people find the unjustified killing of ANYONE of ANY COLOR abhorrent, un-American, and inhumane. However, most people believe in law, order, and justice and don't automatically default to disruption and criminal destruction.

Peacefully demonstrate and I'll listen. Impede my progress or Infringe on my rights and I'm automatically against you and your cause.

Especially the last sentence---you echo my own stance on this...if you want to protest peacefully, and it gets your message across without violence or destruction of property, then you MIGHT even get me to march alongside you

But I admit, I don't get the shutting down of freeways or any other public roads to drum up support for a cause...if anyone here thinks I'm wrong, then tell me so without fear...but like Domitian, I tend to get a little 'heated' if you try to impede my progress or deny any of my rights

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

The point is because if they just hold a peaceful protest in the park, it's a blurb on the news. If they block the connector, it becomes a massive news story and gets tons of coverage. It's a PR move and forces a platform for them to get their message across.

Atlanta has a stake in any issue like this because of the size and strength of our African American community and our history with civil rights.

Going out on the freeway to bring "attention" to something that has already received attention and is continuously receiving attention is nothing like the civil rights movement IMO.

FWIW, I understand the desire to want to "do something." But IMO that particular action is not doing anything of substance.

And if half of those people in Atlanta went to Baton Rouge and joined more of a coalition of people in Baton Rouge in order to protest the treatment of Alton Sterling in that area, to where there were 5k-10k people from all over the south, it would have DEFINATELY brought attention to the issues specifically in Baton Rouge.

It is just my opinion that all of this fractured, unorganized protesting is doing nothing. The CRM had specific goals, specific leadership and specific action plans. They also had training on how to protest and illicit the responses needed to achieve those goals.

People going out on the freeway do not. Who organized the event? What was the purpose. IMO there was no purpose and no organization and to me, that is the issue with today's "movement." FWIW I do believe that there needs to be action in regards to police reform. But going out on the freeway provides no incentive for it to occur and doesn't make sense.

Originally Posted by Gulch

So what if an ambulance is rushing someone with a life-threatening condition to the hospital and is "stuck on the freeway" due to the protesters, causing said person to die?



People are NOT used to being stuck on the freeway due to the deliberate blocking of traffic by idiots.

I've been stuck in Atlanta traffic probably, if put together for 2-3 years of my life lol. I've seen many ambulances stuck during rush hour on the freeway.

Again, I don't think they should have done it, but it didn't do any extraordinary damage to Atlanta drivers. Plenty of stalled cars and minor accidents (let alone serious accidents) cause the same amount of traffic woes.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by whodean

Just who do the protestoras think they are protesting against in Atlanta?. Do these imbeciles know which color runs the police here?

On this "color" has nothing to do with police reform.

Too often whites it seems think that black people have an issue only with "white" police officers. After living in Atlanta as long as I did, I was more afraid of black officers than white. It is about the police department as an organization, not about the race of the officers or administration.

[whodean]

So blacks are being racially profiled by.... Blacks ?

[jero23]

Originally Posted by TheTravelinMan

An economic boycott is a very poor instrument to affect change like this - there is too much collateral damage. A boycott against a single business that is doing something terrible is a very good idea but not against a whole community.

Wrong. An economic boycott against large group(s) of businesses that does not serve nor respect a demographic or community is a very effective method of forcing change along with the coordination of active participation in the political system and community organizing.

See the Montgomery Bus Boycott as a prime example...