This Year of Protests May Be Over, But Movements They Sparked May Be Just Beginning Mariana Atencio, Angela Barajas and Jesse Swinger - Fusion
go to original December 24, 2014

The Year of the Protester: YouTube Top News 2014 (Fusion)

Unified voices asking for justice and political change reigned this year.

The protests started in February with Venezuelans opposing an imposed dictatorship passed on from the late Hugo Chavez to Nicolas Maduro. Television stations were censored, but the voice that prevailed was that of citizen journalists.

Months later, cell phone video captured on YouTube showed Eric Garner dying after being placed in a chokehold by an officer with the New York Police Department. The officer was not indicted by a grand jury, sparking outrage and further protests in the city.

A quiet suburb in Missouri soon drew national attention after police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed when the black teen encountered Wilson, who is white. The officer also was not indicted by a grand jury, but the streets of Ferguson had already become a scene of weeks-long protests. The unrest was streamed lived by Fusion’s Tim Pool.

Umbrellas were the sign of the peaceful protests in Hong Kong led by young students using Twitter and other social media platforms to communicate and spread ideas.

In Mexico, hash tags #YAMECANSE or #IMFEDUP put pressure on authorities after 43 college students disappeared in the countryside. The victims were burned alive, their bodies left behind in a trash dump, at the hands of the drug cartels.

This year of protests may be over, but the movements they sparked may be just the beginning.

See the original at Fusion

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!