Now that Trump is the president, I think we’re gonna see a lot of protests over these next four years.
The Women’s March on the day after his inauguration was the largest protest in US history, with over 3 million people taking to the streets. And just the week after that, thousands more protested at airports across the country to fight Trump’s Muslim and refugee ban.
I went to both of these protests, and afterwards, I had a lot of people praising me for that. They would say that I’m a “real activist” because I actually got out and did something. You know, not like those “fake activists” who just sit at home.
But I don’t think that’s a productive way of looking at the situation. I think all that does is devalue certain kinds of activism and discriminate against people who are unable to go to protests for one reason or another.
So here are six perfectly good reasons someone might not be able to go to a protest.
1. They Have a Disability
For able-bodied folks like myself, this might not even cross your mind when thinking about protests, but many protests are extremely inaccessible to people with disabilities.
At the Women’s March, for instance, the crowd was so packed that you could barely walk anywhere, and it would have been much harder to navigate a wheelchair.
Some disabled people don’t have the stamina to be able to march for hours. Some blind or deaf people might have difficulty navigating large, loud crowds.
And others might not have felt welcome due to the initial exclusion of disability rights from the Women’s March platform, or they might have felt excluded simply because disability rights didn’t seem to be a priority for the Women’s March.
The point is, there are a lot of completely valid reasons why a disabled person might not be able to, or might not want to attend a protest.
2. They Have Mental Health Issues
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 43.6 million Americans suffer from some degree of mental illness, which is about 18% of all adults in the US.
That’s a lot of people, and many of these forms of mental illness can be debilitating to the point of preventing someone from going to a protest. Or, someone might choose not to go to a protest knowing that it could make their mental health issues worse.
For example, folks with depression might be unable to find the motivation to get out of the house. Folks with anxiety might be absolutely petrified at the idea of being surrounded by so many people, particularly if there is a police presence.
Folks with agoraphobia or claustrophobia might have a serious negative reaction to being in such a large crowd.
And that’s just a few examples. If you don’t suffer from mental health issues, it might be easy to look at these people and tell them to “just get over it,” but it’s really not that easy for them.
Mental illness is not something you can just get over and forget about. It can have a very real effect on a person’s ability to function.
3. They’re Undocumented
According to the Pew Research Center, there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
As much as the media likes to demonize these people, they’re just people like you and me, and they deserve basic human rights. Unfortunately, a lot undocumented immigrants risk deportation if they’re arrested, and many protests come with at least some risk of arrest.
That means that even at protests for the rights of undocumented people, it makes sense if those folks don’t show up – because it could directly put their lives in danger.
I don’t think it makes sense to ask those people to risk everything for a protest – I think this is a case where those of us with US citizenship have to step up and support them.
4. They’re a Person of Color and/or Queer
A study by the Center for Policing Equity found that police are 3.6 times more likely to use force on a Black person than a white person. Another study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that police were 50% more likely to use force against Black people or Hispanic people than white people.
And a report by the Williams Institute found that LGBTQI people face disproportionately high rates of discrimination and harassment from police. You don’t have to look far for all kinds of statistics that show people of color and queer people are treated unfairly by the police.
Because of that, it makes sense that some people of color or queer people wouldn’t feel safe at a protest where there could potentially be a police presence.
5. They Have Prior Convictions or Arrests
For people who’ve gone to prison, served their time, and been released, life can be a lot harder with their prior arrest or conviction on their record.
When talking about protests, this means that they could face harsher penalties if they are arrested again, or they could be found in violation of their parole, which would have very negative consequences for them.
It’s easy to dismiss these people because they’ve committed or been convicted of a crime, but I think we have to recognize that most people deserve a second chance.
Otherwise, they’re just stuck in an endless cycle of crime and prison. So, I think it can be wise for them to avoid protests so that they can get back on their feet and have a normal life outside of prison.
6. They Don’t Have Money
For poor people, protests simply might be too expensive. And I know the act of attending a protest doesn’t actually cost anything, but lots of other factors can have a cost.
For instance, making any kind of sign requires buying markers or posterboard. Getting to and from the protest requires some form of transportation. Buying food while you’re out all day costs money. And if they’re arrested, paying bail could destroy them financially.
Plus, many poor folks simply don’t have the time to go to a protest because they’re hustling at two or three jobs. When protests stretch on for hours and hours, or even days or weeks, lots of people just can’t afford to not work for that long.
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So those are six reasons someone might not go to a protest, but there could definitely be more.
I do think protesting is important, but I also think it’s important not to put people down just because they’re unable to attend.
I am very privileged and fortunate in many ways, and that’s why I was able to protest. I don’t think I’m a better activist than those who chose to stay home.
But I do think that if you have the privilege and the means to attend protests, like I do, you do have some degree of responsibility to defend the rights of other people.
Thanks for watching this episode of Feminism with Riley, which I’m doing in collaboration with Everyday Feminism, a website dedicated to helping you stand up to and break down everyday oppression.
Remember to subscribe and share this video if you liked it, and I will see you next time.
