Protests surrounding President Donald Trump’s actions have become commonplace in national and global news. The protests fueled by his comments, promises and actions make the nation’s problems and political divide clear.

There have been numerous protests across the entire nation and their coverage on news stations across the entire world shows that there has been civil unrest since before the presidential race. The goal of the protesters is common, even if their specific cause is not, and that goal is to create awareness of social injustices that affect them via news outlets and social media. This mission has been achieved successfully by marching on the Capitol and boycotting companies. These strategies have been some of the most effective methods through the nation’s history.

Protests across the country have proven a major political indicator of the thoughts and feelings of citizens on both sides of the issues. Social media has been constantly plastered with political memes, disagreements between friends, and coverage of (or arguments over) “yet another protest.”

There have been endless attacks on every political party – Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians to name a few. If there is one statement that every party could agree with, it would most likely be “the country and its people are strongly divided.”

So, are these protests really worth the time and work put into them? Considering their goal is to spread awareness about social issues and to make their point of view known, it is definitely effective. The right to protest is protected by the Constitution and has been used since the beginnings of the country to make the voice of the people heard. Although strategies and methods of protest have changed due to the advances of technology over the centuries, it still is more effective than doing and saying nothing. If protesters just “move on and support the new president,” it would be the same attitude as those who opposed the rise of dictators throughout history – feeling they had no power.

However, violent protesting or third-party groups using protests as a platform for violence is counterproductive. While it does draw more attention, as has seen in Portland, Ore. and Los Angeles, it is attention that does not support the point of the protest; rather, it simply makes those participating seem unruly and terroristic in nature. Violence-backed protests are nothing more than destructive – they destroy businesses and ruin innocent civilians’ homes. Unless the goal of the protest is to oppose their own city in its entirety, this approach is pointless.

The good news is the people retain power no matter what. Peaceful protest is protected as a right to free speech for all citizens of the United States and is a right that cannot and will not be revoked. America is founded on the principles of human rights and equality, stated as such in the Declaration of Independence: “all men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”