Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. – Watching the chaos unfold in Los Angeles over the past two days, I’ve found myself asking one question: How do we get out of our slide into darkness?
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This darkness is not senseless. It’s driven by the aspirations of a president who dreams about becoming a dictator. He is pushing the country into political instability.
We can already see the cracks in our judicial system through court rulings that have enhanced Donald Trump’s power as president.
Now the crisis is fully thrust upon us in the violence we see – the rubber bullets used to injure three journalists in Los Angeles, the cloud-like sprays of tear gas floating into the air. Immigrants arrested in raids. Driverless cars painted by flame and spray paint.
Trump’s current deployment of the Marines shouldn’t be an excuse to create more political violence, even as it may move the protest movement temporarily forward.
It’s not clear whether our democracy is functioning properly.
Trump is an aspirational dictator working to increase his power in any legal way possible. We do not know what actions may come next.
Now, we must reform the way we protest in order to get out of this darkness – even if it feels too quiet in the chaos of this political moment.
Last year, former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law for six hours in South Korea, bringing the country to a political crisis. Soldiers surrounded the parliament building as legislators – some on hectic livestreams – fought to get inside the building.
How did South Korea’s citizens protest this act? Candlelit vigils with signs calling for impeachment on the streets. Citizens protested by sitting down and blocking roads.
On the day of the order, protestors gathered around the building in order to help legislators get inside to help reverse martial law. Singers reimagined “Felix Navidad” into a song celebrating the future impeachment of the president at rallies.
There were no rubber bullets flying, tear gas floating, and no munitions exploding in a violent attempt to control the crowd as it happened in Los Angeles.
Even as the threats citizens protested in South Korea reflected different issues than the ones we see in the US today, violence was not viewed as an acceptable measure from authority or protestors.
Mutual respect between citizens and authorities in South Korea prevented the use of excessive force and violence there.
What precedent can further violence bring here? Trump threatens these current protests by calling the protesters “insurrectionists” and escalating conflict through the use of the Army National Guard.
Martial law through the Insurrection Act, as some fear Trump could impose, only promises more violence.
In 2016 and 2020, Trump was not rising to the prime of his political power. Even as he used military force against protestors in Portland, Oregon, advisors stopped him.
But by now, all the guardrails protecting the balance of power between the executive, judicial and legislative branches have fallen apart through a series of lawsuits and unconstitutional moves.
His social media content – with an AI generated photograph showing Trump with a crown – reveals his authoritarian intentions. There is a threat of more violence and potential bloodshed from these reinflamed protests.
Lighting these candles promises a turn away from the violence and a step towards the light.
Any moment of unrest promises change. We’ve seen how protest can change our nation overnight. We can do it again.
Dana Kim is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
