How to Protect Civil Disobedience Rights

The term and modern theory of civil disobedience was established by Henry David Thoreau in his essay "Civil Disobedience," published in 1849. In practice, civil disobedience is the active refusal of citizens to obey certain laws or government directives without resorting to violence. Some of the best known applications of civil disobedience were demonstrated in the United States by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and in India by Mahatma Gandhi.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Contact your local government with the grievance you want them to address. There are many ways to do this. Write or email officials responsible for the problem, attend city council meetings or set up an appointment to meet with the individual responsible for addressing your concerns.
2. Educate your local community about the laws and legislation you disagree with. Your concerns are more likely to be heard if you have the support of the community behind you.
3. Protest the laws or legislation you want to address. Organize your family, friends and neighbors to peacefully assemble to draw attention to your cause.
4. Boycott services or organizations known to support the forces you are working against.
5. Petition your local government to change or amend the laws or legislation that are the basis of your grievance. Petitions require significant support to be considered legitimate.
6. Realize that your right to petition, peacefully protest, boycott products and services are, for the most part, the only civil disobedience rights protected by the Constitution. If you disagree with a specific ordinance or law, you are required to follow that law until it has been successfully changed. Failure to follow the law puts you at risk of being criminally charged.

Tips & Warnings

• In the event that you decide to practice civil disobedience regardless of the criminal consequences, refer to the writings of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau.