Kyle Ali

Inquiry Proposal
10/13/16

The topic of protesting was something I had been thinking about a lot since the recent
police shootings. I realized that every time it happens the reactions vary. It usually starts with
peaceful protests and every once in a while they turn violent. There are also people who take
advantage of those situations and see it as an opportunity to loot and commit senseless acts of
violence. I also know that sometimes violence is the only way to effectively get a point across to
the people for which it is intended. The topic was different the other inquiry topics that I had
looked up. I found that it was something very relevant to current events, especially here at UNC
Charlotte. Some students saw the peaceful protests that happened on campus as useless or
unnecessary. I took some interest in learning how different demographics within the student body
viewed the recent events as well as how they felt about the reactions of others. I know that topics
such as this one can be uncomfortable for some people, but I feel that sometimes those
uncomfortable conversations need to be had in order to grow as an individual and as a campus.

Which is more effective, violent demonstrations or peaceful protests? What types of

events spur each response? In light of recent of events this topic is definitely that has something
that has piqued my curiosity and deserves further research and discussion. I consider what Ive
looked into to be an age-old question. For as long as people have taken action against oppression
and injustice there has been the issue of violent demonstrations versus peaceful protests and

where the line should be drawn. The protests I was looking to cover in my inquiry proposal were
the ones that take place as a result of issues regarding race relations or racially motivated events.
Although, after further research, I realized that this is an issue and a question that stems around
the globe. I think the broader question would be, Which is a more effective path to change,
violence or nonviolence?
When I first came up with this idea, there were two quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King
immediately came to mind. The first one reads, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere. And the second one is a portion of a quote that reads, A riot is the language of the
unheard. Those quotes came to mind because it justifies the question. Even one of the greatest
minds of the 20 century, a man most known for his use of nonviolence, understands that violent
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demonstrations and more radical forms of protests can be necessary in order to enact change. Dr.
King was very sagacious in his ideals. He was anti-violence, but still understood the roots of
violence. His four steps to a nonviolent campaign are most definitely useful and foster selfreflection, but sometimes that isnt enough.
This topic is a common one in the United States, especially in the black community with
the recent conflicts with the police. One thing Ive noticed is how the media plays a huge role in
how demonstrations are portrayed. The shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte a few weeks
ago lead to numerous demonstrations both violent and nonviolent. Scott was shot by a CharlotteMecklenburg police officer on September 20 , 2016. Protests rang out immediately after the
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incident happened and made major headlines for the next few days, but it did not last. I find that
the real issue lies in the fact that the incidents in themselves do not spur change, but only how the
public reacts to them. And even then it is very rare that there is any real change made. It has been

less than a month since the shooting yet it is already out of the news. It seems as though the
causes of public unrest have a very short lifespan the media. They only last until a new headline
is made, no matter how trivial it may be. I want to look into the underlying causes of why that is.
Why when there is a clear need for change and reformation does it get swept under the rug until
the general public reacts to it in a way that disrupts the happenings of everyday life. Police and
race relations in the United States is just one instance that deserves further investigation.
The Arab Spring was a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests, both
nonviolent and violent, riots, and civil wars in the Arab world that began on December 17, 2010
in Tunisia with the Tunisian Revolution, and spread throughout the countries of the Arab League
and its surroundings. Major insurgencies in Syria, Libya and Yemen resulted along with civil
uprisings in Egypt and Bahrain, large street demonstrations in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Morocco and Oman, and minor protests even in Saudi Arabia. This is another prime example of
how protests both violent and nonviolent can be extremely effective. One thing to not is the
distinct difference in scale between the protests that took place in the Middle East the ones that
take place in the United States. The protests in the Middle East were happening on a national
level. Mass movements took place in order to push the region from being dominated by
authoritarian rulers to a more democratic state. While some Middle Eastern nations succeeded in
enacting the change they wished to see, not all of them yielded the results for which they were
hoping. Some nations kept their protests as nonviolent demonstrations that simply grew too large
to be ignored, while other nations protests turned into violent campaigns. After peaceful protests
were heartlessly suppressed, activists took up arms against their oppressors. With the aid of
foreign powers in the west, the insurgency could succeed.

Why is violence more effective in some cases while non-violence prevails in others? Will
violence triumph if it is a response to violence? What does it take to make a nonviolent
demonstration successful and how does one determine whether or not the demonstration is
successful? It is important to know that there are two sides to every coin. Even here on campus
there are people who reacted differently to the recent events in Charlotte. Some students staged
peaceful protests, while others decided to take part in the protests in the streets that turned
violent. My classmates would benefit from more research on this topic because it forces us to
have those tough conversations that many people try to avoid for fear of conflict or discomfort.
In such a polarized society, these are some of the questions that need to be answered. Theyre not
only interesting, but have real world applications in a society that likes to take immediate action.

Feedback Reflection - There wasnt much time spent on providing revisions for my
inquiry proposal. After receiving feedback from my peer group, I realized that I was not the only
person who was curious about this topic. There werent many edits due to the fact this is only an
inquiry and not an actual research paper. There were more verbal questions and conversations
about how I came up with the idea for my inquiry question. Within the proposal, I did add a few
small comments about Dr. Kings 4 steps for a nonviolent campaign at Silas suggestion.