Riots inspire political change more quickly

Democracy and peaceful negotiation are necessary to create political change. However, peaceful negotiation takes time, and sometimes, the peoples' demands—or peoples' lives—cannot wait for democratic negotiation. Political leaders may hide behind the guise of the "democratic process" when they refuse to accept protesters' demands. Yet, protests, which may escalate to riots, force political leaders to act quickly. People in power, or people who benefit from the ruling class, will not listen to the demands of the oppressed unless riots occur. Riots raise awareness to a need for political change, both for political leaders and the public.^[2] Though such widespread attention can be short-lived, rioters have nevertheless amplified the cause on a larger scale than it was before. Raising awareness of the issue to the public forces the public to act on behalf of the protesters to petition their elected representatives to listen as well. Many agree that looting and rioting are never justified because violence harms people and communities. Many say that peaceful protest would be a more constructive, democratic response. Still, people in power may intentionally and consistently ignore peaceful requests. In such cases where rulers are ignorant to peaceful requests, a riot may be the only way to motivate leaders to act.^[3]

[P1] People have a right to protest their government. [P2] Violent protest, though not ideal, may erupt after years of consistent inaction or ignorance from the government.