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On Wednesday, the hashtag #NoBillNoBreak flooded Twitter as House Democrats staged a sit-in due to Republican inaction concerning gun control. The quite unusual, yet much needed, demonstration made the GOP nervous as it forced live coverage of the chamber off the air.
After the U.S. Senate denied a vote to fund for background checks for those buying guns in wake of the Orlando tragedy, many were exhausted about Congress' deliberate inaction. That same energy channeled the House Democrats on Wednesday when they decided that enough was enough.
The over 24-hour sit-in was led by Representative John Lewis, who is no stranger to protest. Lewis wanted to ensure others, specifically Republicans, that they will fight for legislation, saying, "We are going to win". He later tweeted, "We got in trouble. We got in the way. Good trouble. Necessary Trouble. By sitting-in, we were really standing up #NoBillNoBreak".
Courtesy of Twitter
This protest by Congress should give political leaders understanding and tolerance of the actions and protests organized by Black Lives Matter. Usually the peaceful protests of Black Lives Matter are heavily scrutinized by politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike. The same way that the House Democrats engaged in a sit-in to demand gun control measures parallels the way that many Black Lives Matter seek justice for victims of police brutality. The relentless and unyielding spirit that activists evoked while on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore, Maryland, and Chicago, Illinois, is the same sentiment that politicians felt as they staged a sit-in on the chamber floor in Washington D.C.
Thus, the only thing I ask of people who supported the #NoBillNoBreak on social media is to think twice before condemning the efforts of Black Lives Matter activists.