CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Civil Disobedience- refusal to obey governmental demands or

commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means
of forcing concessions from the government
FAMOUS QUOTES
One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws.
Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. Martin
Luther King Jr.
It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.
Aristotle
When evil men make bad laws, righteous men disobey them. Pastor
Butch Paugh

It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.
Aristotle
I feel as though the above quote best represents many current issues
that have been sprouting up all over the world. Many are being punished for
not being what law considers to be a good citizen when they are simply
trying to use their morals to be a good man and help bring about change.
One example is from the recent commotion in Ferguson, Missouri. Though
there are ample instances of citizens being punished for civil disobedience in
Ferguson, there is one that stands out to me the most. Moral Monday is
what the activists called it. A group of demonstrators walked from Wellspring
Church to the Ferguson police station in heavy rain. Using bullhorns, they
read off the names of people killed by police officers nationwide. Nineteen
people were arrested by early afternoon on that day. No one was injured, no
one was portraying violence, and no one was being out rate. A group of
people were merely doing a task that they felt was for a good cause. But did
the arresting officers feel the same?

Resources
Definition- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20disobedience
01/28/2014

Janel Lampkin

Quotes- http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/civil-disobedience

Moral Monday- http://www.ibtimes.com/ferguson-october-protests-over-50-

people-arrested-following-acts-civil-disobedience-1704366
ARTICLE SUMMARY
Largest Civil Disobedience in Wal-Mart History Leads to More Than 50 Arrests
In downtown Los Angeles, a group of over five-hundred Wal-Mart
workers joined forces to encourage the company to pay every full-time
worker at least $25,000 per year. Many employees came forward to explain
the daily struggle they go through to support their families on part-time pay
while putting in full-time work. Though Wal-Mart representatives say that
every worker has equal opportunity to receive full-time hours, their
employees say different.
In November of 2013, over a hundred Wal-Mart employees sat in the
streets and gathered along the sidewalks of downtown Los Angeles,
California. While holding up signs that stated their demands, they protested
loudly against Wal-Marts unfair wages. While many went unpunished, a few
were not so lucky. More than fifty of the five-hundred protestors were
surrounded by police officers, and even a helicopter above, and arrested for
refusing to clear the streets after their permit expired.
Forty-six states and one-hundred stores took part in the action by
coordinating strikes on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Though much
attention was brought to this situation, not much has changed with the
wages.
MY OPINION
I feel as though those protestors and supporters had ample reasons to
protest. They did what they felt needed to be done in order to bring about
change. If I were in their shoes, I would have been right along with them,
with a sign in one hand and a bullhorn in the other.

01/28/2014

Janel Lampkin

Largest Civil Disobedience in Wal-Mart History Leads to More Than 50 Arrests

November 8,2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/08/walmart-arrests_n_4227411.html

01/28/2014

Janel Lampkin