The quiet triumph of a day without violence

On the day of the nationwide protests under the banner “No Kings,” something remarkable occurred: Despite deep divisions and the very real risk of violence, across cities in America, neither side of the political spectrum used the gathering as an excuse for destruction or revenge. Neither protesters nor counterprotesters resorted to violence. Putting aside whether or not one agrees with the protest, the fact that we got through the day without major incidents of violence is worth recognizing. On the left, protesters did not descend into vandalism, looting or property destruction. On the right, there was no large-scale retaliation, no vigilante “revenge,” no vehicles used as weapons, no mobs seeking confrontation. Police departments nationwide posted messages online noting a lack of arrests