Monday Protests Exposed as Political Theater

According to news outlets, more “Moral Monday” cases are ending in acquittals or  being tossed out of court — which sheds light on what the disturbances really are.

Prosecutors said they will drop pending cases against those arrested in the May 20 disturbances, after a judge acquitted five accused demonstrators.

Reportedly it was difficult for officers to testify about specific individuals’ actions in the chaos outside the legislative chambers. (The News & Observer also reported on the cases.)

The news stories said prosecutors will proceed against other demonstrators. But so far, out of 945 arrests, 26 people have been convicted and 31 acquitted. Others have taken plea deals, which generally means paying a fine and doing some community service.It may be that many of the other demonstrators will cop a plea, win their cases, or see their charges dropped altogether as the justice system gags on this influx of cases.

This ongoing story confirms what we’ve suspected from the beginning. The protesters like to pose as descendents of the civil rights demonstrators of the 1960s. But those men and women were real heroes. They faced real hardships and danger. They also accepted punishment for breaking the laws.

The Monday protesters like to think of themselves as such brave opponents of bad law. But they were only play-acting the part of civil rights crusaders. The Monday crows got out of custody as soon as they could on the various Mondays (and the occasional Wednesday). They have for the most part fought tooth and nail to escape real punishment — or any punishment at all. They succeed often, for they are far from being weak and oppressed. If anything, our analysis has shown, the demonstrators are middle class people with the resources, savvy and connections to dodge justice. The whole show exposes the Monday protests as mere street theater.