Beyond the protests: what else needs to be done?

When it comes to peaceful protests and demonstrations, officials say they can be very passionate and emotionally charged events.

47ABC spoke to the NAACP Delaware State Conference on Friday who say it’s important to prepare yourself if you do choose to participate.

Alicia Clark, 2nd Vice President of the group, says it’s crucial to educate yourself on what a group is actually protesting or demonstrating in order to help get the message across.

Clark says for some, peaceful protests can be a method of healing; however, she tells 47ABC there needs to be more communication overall.

“We need to be asking “how did we get here?” How did we get to this point where we’re seeing the escalation of violence in our communities perpetrated on black men? And now perpetrated on police officers?” explains Clark. “We’re not spending, in my opinion, enough time and energy and resources understanding the root cause of these problems.”

Clark says it’s also important for the public to not draw conclusions on their own if peaceful protests turn violent. Instead, she stresses the importance of being patient and allowing law enforcement and authorities to properly investigate.