I've been seeing comments from Democrats about the Donald Trump protests that are misdirected. There were videos of protesters smashing windows in Washington D.C, and Democrats jumped in and said that those protesters should be ashamed of themselves for breaking windows.
I find it odd that so many Democrats want to bash left-wing activists many of whom, are among those affected most by Donald Trump's presidency. In less than a week, Trump has signed more executive orders than days he has been in office. Let's be honest, if Obama started rapidly signing executive orders when he entered the presidency, conservatives would lose their minds.
These executive orders are nothing minor; in fact, they are devastating blows to progressive and American values. Just yesterday, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning the EPA and other federal agencies from publishing scientific data and information about climate change, just after he removed all of the information on climate change from the White House website; to make matters worse, he has banned these agencies from talking to the press and forced them to delete content on social media about climate change. This executive order came just one day after he signed an executive order restarting the Keystone and DAPL pipeline project.
Trump has also signed an executive order against abortion and funding federal services such as Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, federal judges are ruling that it is okay for doctors to refuse treatment to women, gay and lesbians, and transgender people because of "religious freedom."
Now, ask yourself, do you feel angry? It is understandable that people, many of whom are hurt by Trump's presidency, have turned to breaking a window of a Starbucks. But instead of being angry or talking about what Trump is doing, many liberals are too focus on scolding protesters for breaking a Starbucks window.
I urge you to be agitated and direct your anger at issues that matter. When low-income women are losing access to healthcare or freedom choice, when my rights as a human being are threatened, when I (and millions of others) may not have healthcare if Trump repeals the Affordable Care Act, and that the future of our planet is at stake, I'm sorry that I have no concern or sympathy for a broken Starbucks window.
I know that there are going to be comments along the lines of “But, when does rioting solve anything?” and “Martin Luther King would not approve.” Firstly, never ever tell people what Martin Luther King would approve of or not approve of, you are not Dr. King and therefore cannot know what he would stand for today; it’s especially infuriating when white liberals say this to Black Lives Matter activists. Secondly, you have to understand that when a system is so broken and you have nothing left to lose, you are going to take drastic measures. Breaking a window is not violent; violence is take healthcare away from millions of Americans, violence is destroying a planet by building a pipeline through Native American burial grounds and violating treaties. If you want to talk about violence, then make sure you know what violence is.
Maybe I’m more radical than most, but it is going to take the left to be more radical if we want to stop Trump. For too long, the Democrats and the DNC have tried to shift to the center instead of taking a bold stance on issues that matter, and they need to start because if they don’t speak up, then the right will win.