The movement he led would not have succeeded in bending the long arc of the moral universe as far as it did if it had become violent in any way. The hearts and minds of millions of people uninvolved with the movement, who previously had tolerated the injustice of racial discrimination because it did not directly affect them, were moved by the news and images of peaceful human beings brutalized simply for standing up for the Constitutional rights which are supposed to be the birthright of every American citizen.
If the marchers had instead met violence with violence, the narrative of the oppressive authorities would have gained more traction in the court of public opinion. Most Americans want law and order, and want nothing to do with violent rioters.
This is why The Felon and his goons want to provoke violent reactions, and precisely why we must not give it to them. Not only must we refrain from physical violence, we should keep our cool and refrain from verbally abusing those sent to confront us. Vitriol and profanity might be a justifiable reaction and a natural release of the outrage we feel, but it can hurt rather than help our just cause.
Such discipline is not easy to attain -- but it can be found in a place that great leaders refer to as the Higher Ground.
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