Marches and rallies have an iconic place in the history of modern democracy. But do such forms of protest still retain their power to move people, or have they become obsolete? Shara Esbenshade and Carl Zielinski offer their opposing views in this audio slideshow.

Sometimes protests can galvanize a nation, as happened during the Civil Rights era. But in recent years, demonstrations and rallies seem to have had little effect on the big issues of the day. But that doesn't discourage some Uni activists from using them as a means to get their message across.

When police don't understand the laws they are supposed to enforce, they send the wrong message to the public. When those laws deal with the First Amendment rights of free speech and free assembly, the effect is especially harmful, argue Shara Esbenshade and Cody Bralts-Steindl.

Were the First Amendment rights of junior Shara Esbenshade and other local activists violated when police told them they couldn't hand out pamphlets in a U of I parking lot during the IHSA football championships in late November? The case has already attracted national attention.