Harry's Gang: Protesting is the American way; depending on how it's done

In a way, I actually enjoy seeing people's continued protests over the 2020 elections. Such a demonstration of civic pride and patriotism is central to the American way.

Now, I certainly think they are wrong, and I don't agree with the conspiracy theories and accusations made without evidence, as those types of statements are damaging to our society. But if they want to get together and let each other know how they feel, I'm fine with it.

Have you ever been to the White House? There's was a protester who camped in Lafayette Park at 1601 Pennsylvania Avenue from 1981 to 2016. That's 35 years of continuous protesting. She was protesting nuclear proliferation, and some say her success was apparent: many of her stated goals were realized during her 35 years of protest. Others think her living in a tent camped on the sidewalk was silly and had no real effect. Who knows? She's free to use her time as she likes. It's America.

There's some certain need for humans to socialize. It's why this Christmas season is so sad for many of us, because the coronavirus has made family gatherings difficult. It's why people drink in bars and eat in restaurants. Fireworks are more enjoyable with a crowd around you, oohing and aahing. It's more fun to watch a hockey game in person, with a crowd of fans, than it is to watch it on TV. Socializing is in our nature.

I recall the Minnesota Twins World Series victory in 1991. Just after the game went into extra innings, I could almost feel downtown Minneapolis calling to me. I hopped on a bus and went to the Metrodome, which by then was crowded with fans, most of whom hadn't attended the game but simply came down to be part of the action. Like me. A few hours later I had a brief conversation with Jack Morris at the Loon Café. I felt a part of it all. You would have thought I was the one who had just pitched 10 shutout innings. Gathering with other fans, otherwise complete strangers to me, felt good.

So I understand why some people feel called to openly protest and gather after a major event in their lives they feel strongly about. You take it personally when police kill a black man in south Minneapolis. You feel cheated when your candidate, the one politician who finally seems to understand what you believe in, loses a big election. How could any of this have possibly happened?

So, we take to the streets. Washington, D.C. has almost continual protests in the streets. Capital police are very experienced in crowd control because they spend a lot of their time managing protests of all sizes from a few carrying signs outside the White House to tens of thousands gathering on the Mall in January for Roe v. Wade protests. Disruption is normal, and not too severe. Essentially, if you plan to see the sights in our nation's Capital, you should expect to deal with some type of demonstration, because that's what happens in D.C. It's normal.

But it's not normal for protesters in Minneapolis, for example, to spill out onto the freeways, disrupting traffic. It's not acceptable for armed protesters showing up at state capitals, threatening violence. It's criminal to burn buildings, vandalize church property, loot businesses; it's even wrong to litter. If hundreds plan to show up and protest, they should clean up after themselves. Litter isn't making a positive statement. Neither is violence and disrespect.

Last weekend, a truck parade rode through our neighborhood. It was about 9 p.m. when we heard loud, booming music coming down our dead-end street. Several pickups, windows open, music blaring, lit up with lights and political signs woke up my sleeping 6-year-old and scared the rest of my family. It was late; it's a quiet street; we had no idea they were coming. Later, we saw on a Facebook post that they claimed, innocently, that they were simply showing their kids Christmas lights around town, but that's baloney. Driving around loudly in neighborhoods with political messages is a protest. The fact they weakly denied it was evidence, to me, that they knew what they were doing was disruptive.

They made their point. They changed no one's minds in our household. I wish next time they'd keep their parades out of the neighborhoods and maybe hold them in daylight hours when kids aren't sleeping. But I respect their willingness to demonstrate, even if I don't agree with their message. It's America, after all.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News and an attorney in Esko who hosts the cable access talk show Harry's Gang on CAT-7. His opinions are his own. Contact him at [email protected].