When we see all the "Black Lives Matters" protests going on today, people on the news, in the media, and people you interact with on a daily basis question what is right and what is wrong to do during the protests. We have seen it all from peaceful protesting to rioting and looting. But what exactly does the first amendment condone and what does the first amendment not condone?
The First Amendment has six freedoms written inside of it. Those freedoms are as follows; Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Assembly, and the Freedom to Petition. This shows that the peaceful protests that we have seen around the country are protected by the First Amendment. This includes the peaceful protest we saw outside of the NBA Bubble in Orlando, FL. According to The Washington Post, on September 12, 2020, a group of more than two dozen people stopped traffic near the front entrance of the NBA’s bubble at Disney World to peacefully protest the shooting of Salaythis Melvin. "The late-night demonstration held up multiple buses transporting media members and league staffers who were traveling between Adventhealth Arena, where the Los Angeles Lakers had just eliminated the Houston Rockets from the playoffs, and the Coronado Springs Resort property, which has been home to the NBA’s restart since early July." (Washington Post, 2020). Although the protest caused some road blockage, the protest was completely in these people's First Amendment Freedom of Assembly.
Although the First Amendment has those six freedoms written inside of it, it does not protect everything that you do. We have seen some of that during the "Black Lives Matters" protests over the past few months. After the death of George Floyd, we saw protests break out all across the country. Especially in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc. . In Los Angeles, videos and photos of the unrest showed people targeting shops near the popular Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and swarming shops in Long Beach. "A Forever 21 store was a favored target as a steady stream emerged carrying armloads of clothing. Some people were even stopped to change into stolen items." (ABC 7, 2020). As of August 27, 2020, 56 suspects were arrested in L.A due to rioting and looting. These people were arrested because their actions were not protected and condoned by the First Amendment.
