Blog 3: The First Amendment

-
"Congress shall make no law about respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." The six freedoms of the First Amendment are in place to protect us from government excess of power, and the way those six freedoms interconnect become an important device for us to assert our autonomy, individuality, and participation in the government. A peaceful protest march is the way to put into use our freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, petition to government, and freedom of press as news and opinions also circulate in media outlets. Gathering in public as a large group to voice concerns and views on an issue to create awareness on others and make the government to act on that problem is the main purpose of a protest.

The issue of police brutality against Black people have persisted for decades, and the death of George Floyd under conditions of police mercilessness has led to unprecedented number of large protests against police violence and racism in all fifty states. In the middle of a pandemic, Black Lives Matter supporters have packed the streets to voice their indignation and to demand justice and the end of police brutality. Although some protesters have turned violent and others have used the chaos created to loot and damage property, most demonstrators are peaceful while exercising their First Amendment rights.

However, in these particular marches where people denounce police violence, the police has reacted with fierce hostility. As in a dystopian world, the president of the United States called the national guard, and law enforcement conducted mass arrests and engaged in acts of violence like using tear gas, rubber bullets, and batons to repress peaceful protesters, bystanders, and journalists. It is evident that such actions violate the First Amendment clauses of freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition. However, people have been loud and clear on their demands and state governments are now beginning to take the steps necessary to change things around... I hope so.
Image: https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.eremedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/23095210/protest-workers-strike.jpg
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun-08/what-have-protests-achieved-george-floyd-death-police-funding-states

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Final Blog: My Online Presence

-
Image
    In almost thirty years, the rise of technology related to media and communication has been impressive. The birth of the World Wide Web started with one site in 1991. Today, the number of available websites reaches over 1.74 billion with 59 percent of the global population as active users. The internet and mobile technology innovations contributed to have in 2020 about 2.95 billion people around the world using social media and yet this number is constantly growing, and an expanding amount of 4.41 billion available apps in Google Play and Apple's App Store combined, and with them, digital technology has prompted a change on norms and the way of life to billions of people.     Actually, the technology of today is so interlocked with us as individuals and as a society that it works as part of ourselves to expand our communication capabilities and outreach potential without frontiers, bringing numerous advantages that impact our culture, lifestyle, economy, education, politics, awa
Read more

Blog 5: The Stifled Opinions of Dissent

-
Image
The voices rarely heard in mainstream news, the thoughts hardly found in the internet search engines or in social media newsfeed, and all types of expressions promoting views that can be perceived as radical, unpatriotic, or overcritical are destined to become the stifled opinions of dissent. These are small factions that defend unpopular principles and viewpoints against the ones of prominent organizations that have extensive power in the government system holding a widespread influence on society. Examples of such voices can be the webpages or social media portals of libertarians, socialists, or American conservatives, or those from anti-war movements particularly in times of war. The question is if the First Amendment protects them. The First Amendment protecting the freedom of expression has been tested in numerous occasions. In times of war or internal social turmoil, people who dare to express ideas that challenge the government have faced repression, censorship, and severe jail
Read more

EOTO 1: Motion Pictures

-
Image
Introduction     In over one century, motion pictures have transformed the world, developing into the most popular and influential media of the 20th century and beyond, with great impact on cultures, societies, politics, and arts, as motion pictures achieve widespread presence to be viewed not only at movie theatres, but also on television broadcast, streaming services, and digital technology that constantly reach millions of people day after day.     Motion pictures, also called films or movies, became a form of art. Motion pictures emerged at the end of the 19th century and were quickly recognized as perhaps the first truly mass form of entertainment. Movies connect people with appealing stories about shared interests, dreams, or concerns, allowing people to perceive the world and understand others through a combination of art, talent, industry, and technology. The Beginning of Motion Pictures Muybridge & Marey     In the 19th century, motion pictures resulted from experimenting
Read more