Ballot or Bullet? May Day Protest

We hear frequently about major political protests. Sometimes protestors get violent or get out of hand and police retaliate with equally horrific violence. People get hurt or even worse they are killed in the process. What once starts as a peaceful movement to gain support and rights soon graduates to violence that relates to Malcolm X’s speech, The Ballot or the Bullet. Malcolm X argues both the use of the peaceful ballot, or the violent bullet. These were the two options for the Civil Rights Movement, and are also the same for the May Day protest. So what choice of action truly is the most effective when it comes to protesting?

Protestors are damaging an American Apparel store as
a sign of the evils of consumer culture.

On May 1, 2012 the day of the May Day anarchy protest, hundreds of anarchists gathered in downtown Seattle to protest capitalism and promote the Occupy Wall Street movement along with immigrant rights. How do these protestors relate to the oppressed African Americans of the 1960s? They are a minority group fighting for something they feel strongly about; the decentralization of government. They are uniting, just as Malcolm X writes of groups that, “it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have a problem, a common problem—a problem that will catch hell whether you’re a Baptist, a Muslim, or a nationalist.” The May Day protest relates to the civil rights movement as they both share a common problem they must fight and strategize to achieve, although they receive opposition from the majority.

These protestors are clearly extremely passionate about their anarchist beliefs, so what choice of action is the best to get their ideas and values known?

           

The protestors can remain peaceful and simply picket downtown Seattle all day. This will get their point across without the risk of being harmed or breaking the law. According to Malcolm X, the ballot (peaceful protest) must be used because Malcolm X argues that it is our civil duty to vote, as we are a part of society and must use the ballot (protest) to work for the government we want. According to him, “Everyone has an equal vote. And when those brothers from Asia, and Africa and the darker parts of this earth get together, their voting power is sufficient to hold Sam in check.” The non-violent approach keeps the government in check. It shows the capability to promote beliefs without having to harm others or damage property. So why could the ballot be the best plan of action for the protest? It is legal, it avoids harm, the use of police force, and also still reflects better on the controversy than does violence. The masses remember it for its message and not for the police report that comes after.

A man is tackled and arrested after attempting to throw
 a glass bottle through a window and ended up
hitting an officer.

But then there is another option. Sometimes the ballot does not work. The peaceful option just doesn’t get the message across. The protest is forgotten or grouped together on the list of many other controversial topics that have been picketed. So violence becomes the option. The May Day protest starts peaceful, and gradually becomes more violent. It strays away from a picketing fight to a physical one. Malcolm X justifies this saying that, “it’s time now for you and me to become more politically mature and realize what the ballot is for, what we’re supposed to get when we cast a ballot, and that if we don’t cast a ballot, it’s going to end up in a situation where we’re going to have to cast a bullet.” It is daring, risky, and it is remembered. In the May Day protests, young adults used wooden sticks to break glass door panels then proceeded to throw rocks through them into the Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Homestead Bank. They also set off smoke bombs in the courthouse, and threw red and green paint bombs to damage local businesses and sidewalks. This caused police to take action by shutting down the protest, crowd controlling, and even tackling some extremely out of hand and violent protestors. Seems outrageous right? It is. Yet it made the May Day protest memorable that year. It showed up on the news, and the anarchists’ fight for a decentralized government and the detest of consumer culture was publicized more than it usually is. Malcolm X argues that violence is the quickest way to direct action and change. He states that the bullet promotes the idea of Black Nationalism that says, “Give it to us now. Don’t wait for next year. Give it to us yesterday, and that’s not fast enough.” This philosophy can also be applied to the promotion of anarchist ideals. Violence causes quick reaction and response from the public. It may cause damage and harm, but it also carries a shock value that can contribute to the spread of anarchist ideals and help to gain a bigger following.

Protestors push in an attempt to break through and
the police force shoves back to contain the crowd.

            So which option is the best choice for the May Day protestors? Should they have remained non-violent and followed Malcolm X’s idea of the ballot? Or should they have gotten violent like they did and chosen the bullet? Both are choices to promote their anarchist ideals and both will contribute, but which one will work better? This is same question African Americans wondered during the civil rights movement. So which option do you think is best? 

The ballot or the bullet?