protests

Cop Who Charged Black Senator With ‘Injuring’ Confederate Statues Nurtured A Long Grudge

The story of the effort by Portsmouth, Virginia police to prosecute a local state legislator for conspiring to "injure" Confederate monuments continues to develop. 

Federal Agents in Portland Set a Dangerous Precedent

by Tom Mockaitis

The sight of armed men in combat fatigues without name tags driving around in unmarked vehicles to detain protestors might have been expected in Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, or the Latin American dictatorships of the 1970s. Such tactics have no place on the streets of an American city in 2020.

As Monuments Fall, How Does The World Reckon With A Racist Past?

Historian Kevin Gaines discusses the growing movement to challenge memorialization of racists in public places and suggests its cross-racial nature makes it harder to ignore. 

Four Charged In Attempted Toppling of Andrew Jackson Statue

Four men have been charged with destruction of federal property for allegedly trying to topple the statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square.

Will George Floyd’s Murder Be Trump’s Undoing?

by James D. Zirin

Donald Trump seems to mistake the temper of the times. Will his instinct to divide the nation be his undoing? 

Protesters Try to Topple Andrew Jackson Statue Near White House

Jackson has long been criticized by Native American activists for his role in forcing indigenous tribes off their ancestral lands. Many of them died in the process. Trump, however, has repeatedly praised Jackson.

Madison Protesters Tear Down Capitol Statues, Attack State Senator From Milwaukee As Fury Erupts Again

The statue of a Wisconsin abolitionist seemed an odd target for protesters. 

U.S. Marshals Told to Prepare to Protect Monuments Nationwide as Trump Targets People who Vandalize Structures during Protests

A spokesman for the Marshals service said Wednesday, “We don’t confirm or deny any enforcement actions that we might take.”

In Suburbs and Small Towns, Racial Justice Takes Center Stage

These protests reflect the demographic shifts and diversification of U.S. suburbs and exurbs in recent decades, a challenge to the stereotype of a monochromatic suburbia.

Letters From An American: June 8, 2020

by Heather Cox Richardson

Among other topics, Professor Richardson weighs in on the New York Times editorial fiasco, arguing that Tom Cotton's op ed was too detached from fact to make any contribution to meaningful public debate. 

Confederate Statues Are Being Removed Amid Protests Over George Floyd's Death. Here's What to Know

For some, they’ve symbolized heritage, but for many, many others, the statues have been a symbol of past and present racism in the U.S. Calls to remove them came once again at the forefront as thousands of people protest police brutality after the officer-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Robert E. Lee Statue and Daughters of Confederacy Building Attacked by Richmond Protesters

Confederate monuments across the South were vandalized during George Floyd demonstrations.

What Coronavirus Lockdown Protesters Don’t Get: Freedom Requires Limits

by Jonathan Zimmerman

Across America, the real lovers of freedom are staying home. They don’t like it, any more than the protesters do. But they’re willing to do it, so that more of us can stay free of the coronavirus.

Liberal Activists Have to Think Broadly and Unite Across Lines

by Matthew D. Lassiter

Fifty years before Greta Thunberg, students at the University of Michigan organized a Teach-In that paved the way for Earth Day demonstrations that mobilized 20 million people in 1970.

Chile’s political crisis is another brutal legacy of long-dead dictator Pinochet

by Paul W. Posner

After weeks of intense, sometimes violent nationwide protests, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera has relented to demands to rewrite the Chilean Constitution. The protesters say they want a new constitution to address Chile’s severe social and economic inequities.

How we fail our Chinese students

by Jonathan Zimmerman

If Chinese students spend several years in the United States and decide they don’t like democracy, we must not be making a strong enough case for it.

White supremacists gathered at Emmett Till’s bulletproof memorial to shoot a video

White supremacists visited Emmett Till's memorial causing dismay to many.  

Climate protests have roots that go deep into the rich history of British social change

by Lucy Robinson

Extinction Rebellion draws on a radical lineage that brings together a range of beliefs and ages.

Does Our Climate Crisis Make the 2020 Election Our Most Crucial One Ever?

by Walter G. Moss

Youth activism like the kind currently being globally displayed also encourages us, but it also reminds us how tough the struggle ahead will be.

Lessons From Moscow: How China Might Handle Hong Kong

Soviet experiences from decades past offer examples for what Beijing may do to quell protests in the city.