protests are pointless, the people in power don't care what you think. If they did, then they wouldn't be doing the things that you are protesting about in the first place.
the only way to effect any change would be to not only muster the numbers (which they seem to be able to achieve, but only for ineffectual and useless effort), but to be willing to exert action at minimum equal to that that is being put forth against you. This puts activity at a stand-still, which is favorable to your cause. You may not achieve what you want, but that's OK because you weren't anyway, but you have also caused your opposition to not achieve what they want either, which is a reversal for them.
vocal protests are inefficient because they can never match the communication ability of the power structure which is favored by modern media technology. World-wide vocal protests against the Iraq war were the largest gathering of people toward a single cause in history, but it wasn't on TV, so most people didn't see it and so it had virtually no effect at influencing anyone else outside of the people that were already involved.
Strikes and boycotts can be effective at equalizing or even surpassing opposing action because industry and workers are in a reverse ratio compared to the action of media technology.
The power structure understands this situation, after all they wouldn't be able to maintain without effective action. They always try to equalize or escalate their efforts against opposition and that is why they are successful. To break up a protesters they send in the cops or the national guard to start using violent ***** against them. These protesters are ignorant, they are idealists that think their ideals can substitute for practical reality with no effort. It's not a matter of ******** being morally right or wrong, it's a matter of effective action in gaining results.
using ******** is simply a matter of practicality. In some cases people can use ******** effectively, and in some not. Ultimately ******** will not be useful against the power structure of the US because they posses more individuals that are willing to use effective action in the form of ******** and they posses weaponry that is at least equal or superior to what the civilian population could muster.
what it really boils down to is that group action can only be successful under narrow conditions. But individual action is almost always equal in ratio. Individual action is more flexible than group action, so it can be more effective.
I'm not going to give any specific circumstances, and I'm not saying that I justify the use of ******** or breaking the law. I'm just trying to demonstrate from a strategic viewpoint how mass vocal protest is a waste of time.