Riot Act

Today in the streets of Luperon, people burned tires, and threw rocks, glass bottles, and live tear gas canisters back at the police that shot them.
They did this because their inept government hadn't done real work on their roads for over two years, and a boiling point was reached where someone somewhere became a catalyst for a popular movement by being just pissed off enough; and one could argue that burning rubber and breaking glass wouldn't improve the quality of those roads they sought to improve.
And they'd be right.
But because their daily life was affected, these people got pissed off and did something, anything about it. I don't agree with the methods, but it got people's attention and it was better than doing nothing.
The idea is that in America, people don't really do something about anything. Sure, there's tons of diabolical fucked up shit going on, but people watch it on the television, go to work, and don't take it to the streets except in small numbers. The Occupy movement is a start in this direction, but compared to the heyday 60's might as well be an Avon house party. Ask 50 different Occupiers about their cause, and you'll get close to 50 different answers except for the idea that we really should be pissed off about something, and that's what it's all about. Righteous indignation en masse can be a powerful tool for social change. It's just not utilized enough, or peacefully enough, to make the difference it should.
So today, as roadblocks of flaming shit were set up not a mile away from me, I may not have agreed, but I understood.