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I think they can be effective if they are not considered as 'good enough'. The US should learn from Europe. 'Taking to the street's should be something that you just expect to do every once in a while. Somehow, we have allowed the media to define this as extreme behavior. However, in a democracy, it is not.
A petition can work as an FYI, but then it needs to be followed up with action. It should be a catalyst for action, not the action itself. We probably could work to improve on that. Maybe a site that not only hosted petitions, but also enabled coordination of gatherings and protests, and other actions that could be done to help the cause.