You are on page 1of 2

The

violence continues. Honestly, Im having a hard time writing this one because Im almost speechless. The violence that has continued unabated in the capitol rotunda is horrifying. And while I am not surprised that it has continued, that does not make it any more acceptable. This violence, if you look at the protestors and the police, is obviously not caused by the protestors. All of the protestors that I have seen on camera have been acting with non-violent resistance, if that. A great many of them did not resist in any way, instead being led away to be searched and fined. As a Pirate, I believe that the bill of rights should be applied to every situation. But, this belief should not just be a Pirate belief. This idea that the bill of rights is our defense against injustice, corruption, and anarchy is one that goes back to the founding of our nation, and before. It is ironic, I think, that the bill of rights is applied by many people in our government only where it is of benefit to their personal interests. It is ironic that in one of the many states where the bill of rights is the first part of the constitution, it is ignored by those who swore to uphold it. When I was in high school, I was part of a program called the House of Peace Teen Leaders. The program trained teens such as myself to lead and facilitate workshops on community issues and on non-violent conflict resolution. We learned how to solve conflicts without violence. One of the main things we learned was how to talk carefully and listen carefully. We even did skits to illustrate examples of conflicts, both with and without careful talking and listening. It is the job of our government, as the governors of the people, and especially our police and judicial systems, to facilitate conflict resolution through those same tactics. Police are taught how to avoid a conflict escalation, and are trained to be authoritative without making others too angry or intimidated. It is not my argument that the police intentionally went against their training, but instead that the chief of the capitol police did. David Erwin, instead of trying to negotiate or talk with the protesters, instead of thinking of the bill of rights that governs our state, decided that the protesters had to go. I would argue that his actions have made his job even harder, if anything. The oft-made argument against the singers is that freedoms of speech can be restricted to a reasonable degree in order to ensure the functioning of the community. And, there is precedent to back this point, to a certain extent. I actually had to think about this point of the issue for a while. The Solidarity Singers are practicing their free speech rights, but those rights may be regulated by the capitol if it is necessary for the functioning of the community. But theres one thing that sticks out at me here. How is the regulation of the Solidarity Singers necessary for the functioning of the community? Whose rights are the singers violating by practicing their right to free speech? None, that I could think of. In fact, I would argue that the crackdown on the Solidarity Singers, that regulation of free speech, has actually harmed the community, and made the jobs of those who work in the capitol even more difficult. The principle behind the regulation of rights in certain situations is that My rights end where yours begin.

If this is true, then not only are the rights of the Singers being suspended, but the rights of the community. The community, in all normal situations, has the unequivocal right to move freely through the capitol, to work there if that is their job, and to take pictures, observe, and enjoy the beautiful building without excessive noise, and without any harassment. The arrest of this man is certainly unlawful, and unconstitutional, by any of these definitions. The only rights being violated are those of the singers and the observers. The crackdown has no legal precedent, and the singers have every right to be there without being harassed by the capitol police. Honestly, though. This is not the part of the issue I find the most horrifying. The thing I find the most horrifying is not the police arrests, not the continued violence in the capitol rotunda, but instead the absolute apathy on the part of the police chief, governor walker, and the far right. Do these people have any compassion for other human beings? I sincerely hope they do. If I were wrong, if the police chief had a multitude of excellent, lawful, and constitutional reasons to do what he did, that would be wonderful. But I do not see those reasons, and I cannot see how anyone could do what he has done and still have compassion for others.

You might also like