By Alex Serrano

By this point you’ve probably seen the video of Richard Spencer, Alt-Right leader and white supremacist (excuse me, “race realist”) getting punched in the face by a masked protester. This of course was followed up by news organizations and the general populace with discussions over the morality of punching an alleged neo-Nazi. How do we respond? Do we lash out in self-righteous anger or protest with peaceful pragmatism? Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X? Or do you believe that the nature of violence is much more complex?

Donald Trump’s executive orders, if you’re still in the “let’s wait and see what kind of president he’ll be” camp, have become increasingly morally repugnant by the minute. Averaging two executive orders a day — including a ban of seven countries’ worth of predominantly Muslim immigrants and the go-ahead for the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline — the Trump presidency is already shaping up to regime-like standards. To varying degrees of success, rallies and marches have erupted around the country in opposition to Trump, his cabinet, and the rhetoric he displayed on the campaign trail.

People are scared, and for some, anti-fascist anarchist “black-bloc” groups provide what they believe is the answer. On the other side of the spectrum, Alt-Right white nationalists have presented opposition to these radical leftist groups. These clashes between the radical left and the radical right have resulted in riots and violent outbreak, most notably at UC Berkeley this past week outside of a Milo Yiannopoulos rally. Violence may not be the answer, but it gets the headlines rolling.

Not all protests are, or have to be, violent. By most accounts, notably from the Washington Post, the demonstrations at UC Berkeley started out peaceful before “a black-clad mob of a few dozen started breaking windows and setting fires at the campus.” Just as most protesters believe that civil disobedience and marches are their only way to sway entrenched government authorities, anti-fascist and alt-right protesters alike seem to believe that the answer is actually a step further, resulting in headline-grabbing destruction and chaos.

While violence may not be the answer, the spike in riotous behavior in America is certainly evident of a deep, growing division between the left and right of the nation. Both of these factions are intimidated by one another and catalyze each other to belligerent ends. Finding a common enemy would surely be a herculean feat, as the Alt-Right now has a seat in the White House.

“Give him a chance” implies that at some undeterminable point in the future, Trump will quit his racist, misogynist, xenophobic demagoguery. But fourteen executive orders and countless ostracized Americans later, he shows not a sign of stopping, nor a any sizable administrative opposition. So if you’re scared, organize. Volunteer at the ACLU or Planned Parenthood. Call your senators and representatives in every legislature. Go to marches, keep marching, and stay involved, especially if you’re not overtly affected right now. All we have is each other, and each other is all we need to bring about effective change. Keep fighting.