Post #3: BLM

 

The 2020 Black Lives Matter protests (spurred by the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd) generally give excellent examples of the six freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. The six freedoms (which are freedoms of religion, from religion, speech, assembly, press and petition) guarantee the rights of citizens to express themselves freely without government interference. For the most part, the Black Lives Matter protests are exemplars of free expression. 

Despite some people vehemently disagreeing with the Black Lives Matter movement's message, it's a bedrock principle of the First Amendment that it protects speech that is unpopular or disliked by certain groups or authorities. The core message of BLM, the idea that black people deserve equal protections, privilege and safety in their homes, is not inherently dangerous or inciting. Thus, most BLM protests enjoy the same protections and affordances that any other protest or parade does.

There are cases within the BLM protests (as within any civil rights movement) where the limits of the Speech-Action dichotomy are tested beyond their breaking point. Some of the protests in Portland, Oregon, for example, have been particularly violent, creating a situation where protestors' actions were not protected under expressive action. The burning of a Portland courthouse is among one of these events where the involved protestors' actions moved from expressive action to riotous behavior.

Despite a few notable skirmishes, the BLM protests have been largely peaceful, and they spread a message encouraging social and individual change to better wider society. So, for the most part, these protests perfectly exemplify the use of one's First Amendment rights.