January
Protesters around the country kicked off the 2015 with a Black Lives Matter demonstration against police brutality. On New Year's Eve, about 100 demonstrators gathered at New York City's iconic Times Square, where Mayor Bill de Blasio and his family presided over the annual ball drop, to stage a 'die-in.' Marchers didn't manage to get onto the square itself, due to the massive number of revelers attending.
On the West Coast, the largest New Year's march was held in Oakland, California, against perceived police force. Over 200 activists staged a noise demonstration where voices, electronics, musical instruments and fireworks were used as a means to get message out, but instead attract a large police presence. After unruly protesters lobbed bottles at the police who were cordoning them off, 29 people were arrested.
Later in the month, 23 Black Lives Matter activists were arrested after chaining themselves to barrels and blocking both sides of an interstate near Boston.
"Today, our nonviolent direct action is meant to expose the reality that Boston is a city where white commuters and students use the city and leave, while black and brown communities are targeted by police, exploited, and displaced," protester Katie Seitz said in a statement.
Comment: Americans of conscience are justifiably outraged over the murderous behavior of police officers who are supposed to protect and serve. Pathological leadership, which exists across the United States, does not know how to solve crises. It does not know how to rebuild, nor how to heal. It only knows how to create additional chaos and point the finger at others. This of course adds more fuel to the fire, degrades society, and quickens the pace of systematic collapse.
What will 2016 bring... the breaking point?