Long have violent actions, violent happenings crawled into the most uncomfortable of spaces inside the hole of human thought and human history. Violent revolts have long been used to cause change as showings of anger and protest against policies and ideologies which they oppose.

Earlier this year, Ammon and Ryan Bundy led an armed militia in Oregon in protest against the federal government. Classified by some as domestic terrorists and others as heroes, the right-wing group caused an armed stand-off against the police for many days until they were arrested.

On Oct. 27 the Bundys and company were unanimously found not guilty on charges that included federal conspiracy and firearm charges. Activist groups such as Black Lives Matter have also been involved in protests which have turned violent, even in rallies which were first deemed as peaceful.

The Mentor editorial board, amidst the legal decision in favor of the Bundys, and while it concurred that the Bundys should have been prosecuted for their militant activity, agreed that violence is acceptable in some instances of protest where it is needed to make change.

Protesting and speaking out against the forces that hold power of us is a fundamental part of democracy, especially powers that many times use force unjustly against its citizens, many times unfairly. Injustices of all kinds have endured in our society, from the racial conflicts that have caused protests to unfair, and at times, prejudist nature of some policies our government makes.

In our postmodern society, media has shaped a world which will only pay attention to conflicts if violence occurs. Yes, militant groups and domestic terrorist are criminals and terrorists and should be tried for their crimes, but some occurrences, as were the riots in Baltimore in 2015, needed the uproar in order to gain national attention to make change.   

Violence can be an uncomfortable thought for many, but there are some circumstances in which it proves necessary to be able to change a policy or a decision which has been long overdue of change. A change that should be listened by the individuals we put in power. These situations should also be treated equally.

The Bundys, an all-white collective, were acquitted of virtually every charge even though they threatened law enforcement several times during their stand-off. If these protesters were of another ethnic group such as Muslim, Latino, etc., the result would have had a different ending. They would have been most likely arrested or killed by authorities.  

Peaceful protests have also worked throughout history, but many problems have still not been solved; they’ve only been compromised or put down. In some cases, peaceful protest will not be enough. In fact, many times peaceful protest have turned violent because of law enforcement and not because of the protestors. In no way is rampant rioting or killing going to be the way to go in improving or setting the example in a situation. Regardless, some instances call for its citizens to use more than words to express their disapproval, to gain attention to an injustice that deserves the attention of the world, of other people being mistreated and of the government which has many times ignored such cries.