After reviewing the articles written by Bonilla and Rosa as well as Michael Rosenfeld’s study on the Chicago Bulls riot of 1992 I started to question the effectiveness of protests. All of the readings highlighted specific cases where police brutality was evident causing many Americans to dispute our legal system and demand that officers receive a just punishment for their actions. Although the readings all provided specific examples, I tended to think of protests in a more general sense and analyze the efficacy of hashtag activism and grass roots campaigns. Bonilla and Rosa are very persuasive when conveying the effectiveness of Twitter and how it allows the “average” person to partake and voice their opinion on a matter they feel passionate about. However, there is certainly something to be said about the effectiveness of Twitter and hashtag activism and on the ground protests.

In some ways, hashtag activism fails to facilitate protests. Specifically, millions of users on social media permit the cycle of rumors and potentially false accounts of legal cases. In addition, while Twitter is brilliant when attempting to spread the word about cases such as Ferguson or the #Handsupdontshoot campaigns they may not be as effective as a mass demonstration where people are raising awareness and feel productive with their actions. In Bonilla and Rosa’s article, they report the emotions of a 25-year-old protestor named Johnetta Elzie. She claims, “We saw it with Trayvon Martin. We saw it with Jordan Davis—but I always felt away from everything. Then I saw Brown’s body laying out there, and I said, ‘Damn, they did it again!’ but now that it happened in my home, I’m not just going to tweet about it from the comfort of my bed. So I went down there” (Bonilla and Rosa, 10). Instances like these are what propel me to believe grassroots campaigns are far more effective than hashtag activism and it seems as though the people involved feel the same way. Johnetta felt that Brown’s body laying on the street was the last straw and believed she had to act in a way that more effective than sitting behind a computer. Johnetta felt a moral obligation to get out of her bed and stand for something that she believes in. It is important to note that Johnetta felt she was creating a greater impact by protesting with the masses opposed to voicing her opinions and concerns on Twitter.

Lastly, throughout history we have seen protests on the brink of riots and in some cases tip into spaces of chaos filled with crime and outrage. I am curious to know what is the tipping point where a protest is considered a riot? Is it always because of an increase in violence or does it go deeper than that?

In Jonathan Wynn’s Music/City, he describes the movement of a cities cultural identity of material production to the present goal of maximizing consumption offerings. As the trend of festivilization will continue to grow, this idea aligns naturally with our in-class discussion of the city as an entertainment machine. City officials are placing an emphasis on music festivals in hopes of transforming local economies. As a result, festival sites are being constructed at a pace that outweighs demand, costing over $15 billion.

Because cities have transitioned to offering as much consumption as possible, there has certainly been a rise in the individual consumer. The consumer now has more freedom to partake in music festivals as well as indulge themselves in the host cities food market. In addition, Wynn mentions that the continued privatization of urban spaces has led to numerous theaters, bars, and restaurants. Gentrified neighborhoods soon became home to new businesses and urban development (Wynn, 25). Furthermore, the idea of festivilization presents new roles for city officials as well. Recently, city officials have placed a greater importance on the construction of festival sites surpassing education and healthcare facilities. As a result, policymakers are finding new ways to use public spaces in order to maximize consumption.

Due to the increase in the amount of music festivals many Americans of all backgrounds come together and share public spaces, which reminded me of Anderson’s cosmopolitan canopy. Anderson writes, “the cosmopolitan canopy becomes ever more significant as a setting in which people of diverse backgrounds come together, mingle with strangers…” (Anderson, 29). In many ways, festival sites offer many of the same characteristics. Specifically, Wynn’s example of the Newport music festival takes a community which is known for their majority white elite population and throws “beatniks” and college students into this environment. Surprisingly, over time the Newport festival was greatly accepted by the local residents. Hence, these festivals resemble some qualities of the cosmopolitan canopy as diverse groups of people of all ages come together to share a common music experience.

Lastly, what stood out to me in this reading and what I believe is worth noting is the relationship between locals and tourist populations that travel for music festivals. Wynn notes that while the Newport residents encourage the annual music festival it certainly took time for them to adjust to the music genres that were popular at the time. The Newport community highlights that cosmopolitan canopies do not arise overnight, they develop over time and I’m sure we will see a lot more in the near future as festivals become ubiquitous. It is also important to note that cities attempt to attract more youthful residents as they find ways to rebrand their cities. However, in doing so, they may be affecting a city’s originality and historical value. The effort to rebrand and make communities more appealing causes a potential disconnect between city officials and policymakers as both groups may differ in long term interests for their city’s.