If we are going to preserve the right to protest, we have to do it peacefully. And sadly, the quality of organization for dealing with protest against a regime that thinks you're more than a pest has deteriorated. I haven't seen any jail solidarity trainings being offered, very few legal observers from the NLG, etc, and we NEED those again.
There have always been moles in every protest group who instigate violence. That's why the number one rule must be that publicized, videotaped martyrdom is the PR tool that works best. "Direct nonviolent action" is the only illegal thing people should be doing, preferably not even destruction of property without a significant meaning behind it (the guy who has run over two Ten Commandments monuments doing them in the dead of night is offensive but didn't hurt anyone and was directed at a specific violation of the Constitution is very different from a person plowing into a crowded protest deliberately to hurt or kill people).
It should be policy for any affinity group or organization that any person suggesting violence is expelled, and that be placed prominently in the materials provided or spoken clearly at the first meeting and those who don't agree should not hear anything about any planned "direct nonviolent action". Whether they are just too hotheaded or are a plant paid for now by the same people paying for the Planned Parenthood "stings" (one person agitating for violence during planning for the Women's March was found to be tied to those people), or as it used to be and are "just the government"....
The very right to protest is being threatened by people perceived as liberals doing violence during protests. Trump is targeting every possible part of the First Amendment he can. We have to try to prevent it by absolutely condemning violence, at EVERY level, from us sitting around talking about it, to large organizations, to smaller affinity groups. No one should plan a "direct action" that involves lawbreaking worse than sitting in front of something to be dragged off, or blocking of roads for a very important reason (the Native American-led protests about the pipeline), unless they're doing it OFFline.
We have the Gungeon for a reason, though, and by the time any President crosses too many lines there are people who will work together, even if they fail, to stop it. That's when the Gungeoneers would mobilize themselves, without being asked, to remind everyone on their gun forums that the Second is supposed to defend the First, whether it's by pretending to be a Libertarian sick of things or playing it straight.
Better to not play directly into Trump's hands by allowing any discussion of violence unless he starts trying to revoke FCC licenses or other obvious, proven, direct attacks on the ability of the press to continue writing, or the ability for a nonviolent protest to happen at all (rather than merely provoking by scheduling delats, etc).
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