The acquittal of the cops who on camera beat the hell out of Rodney King also sparked protests across the country, but Charleston was quiet.
“Now, I’m sure King had his ‘dreams’ but his primary mission, and those of civil rights activists everywhere, was about ‘action’ coupled with concrete and definitive change.
Mass mobilization or direct action, in fact, is only one part of the nonviolent methods for social change.
(4) teach them in nonviolent tactics (i.e. being non-confrontational during direct action); (5) attempt to resolve the problem through negotiations (i.e. negotiations with whoever controls the policies needing to be changed); (6) if that doesn’t work, apply pressure through direct action techniques, which at times need to be sustained for a lengthy period (i.e. boycotts, mass demonstrations); (7) negotiate again, and, if necessary, engage in direct action again – often more research is required or more clarity on the solutions needs to be developed; (8) finally, if the problem is solved, seek reconciliation.
In his book “Stride Toward Freedom” King said that the nonviolent methods are not an end in themselves; they are merely a means to awaken a sense of moral shame in the opponent.
