Login
Community Engagement Learning Exchange
A UNC School of Government Blog
  • Community Engagement Learning Exchange

    A UNC School of Government Blog
  • Home
  • About
  • Categories
  • Contributors
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe

Is there a sharp line between political protest and civic engagement?

This entry was contributed by John Stephens, on January 6th, 2015 at 9:15 pm and is filed under Dialogue & Deliberation, Diversity, Outreach Methods.

This blog is about “civic engagement” when most engagement is considered “normal” or “orderly” efforts to hear citizens and respond to their needs. Is there a sharp line between political protest and civic engagement? Is there a useful way to address the protests about police killings?

I’ll offer a few thoughts.

Protests about the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Tamir Rice in Cleveland; Eric Garner in New York – and others– have taken many forms. Groups of North Carolina residents responded in several towns to the decision of a grand jury not to indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who killed Brown; and the decision of a NYC grand jury not to issue charges against the police officers who arrested Eric Garner. For example:  Asheville, Charlotte , Durham (and in mid-December, Durham mayor reminds citizens of protest rules) and Raleigh.

Continue Reading

This entry was tagged with the following terms: Black lives matter, Citizen participation in local government, Citizen trust, Civic Engagement, Civic participation, Ferguson, News media, police response to protests

Please Note…

This site welcomes a variety of viewpoints and perspectives on community engagement. Ideas shared here should not be considered as being endorsed by the UNC School of Government. The School is nonpartisan and policy-neutral.

Resources: School of Government

  • Public Participation
  • Guide for local government officials - public outreach and participation
  • Citizen Academies
  • International Association for Public Participation

Tags

affordable housing Charlotte citizen engagement Citizen participation in local government Citizen trust Civic Engagement Civic participation collaboration community community development Community Engagement Community outreach dialogue Educating citizens empowerment Greensboro local government North Carolina social capital Social media

Recent Comments

  • Erickson Sunday on Participation vs. Engagement – Here is the Difference
  • Kevin Amirehsani on The Danger of Confederate Statues, and the Danger of Removing Them
  • Kevin Amirehsani on The Danger of Confederate Statues, and the Danger of Removing Them
  • mark sebby on The Danger of Confederate Statues, and the Danger of Removing Them
  • simplysharon on The Danger of Confederate Statues, and the Danger of Removing Them

Regular Contributors

Kevin Amirehsani
Philip Azar
Ruth Backstrom
Michelle Bir
Brian Bowman
Sabrina Colón
Traci Ethridge
Katy Harriger
Rachel Kelly
Catherine Lazorko
Beth McKee-Huger
Rick Morse
John Stephens

Past Contributors

Emily Edmonds
Cate Elander
Stephen Hopkins
Jake Levitas
Candice Streett
Melody Warnick
^ Back to Top
  • Home
  • About
  • Contributors
  • Categories
  • Contact
  • Comments Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • About
  • Contributors
  • Categories
  • Contact
  • Comments Policy
  • Subscribe
Knapp-Sanders Building
Campus Box 3330, UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330
  • T: (919) 966-5381
  • F: (919) 962-0654
Accessibility
© Copyright,
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill