Editing 2020 Racial Justice Protests (section)

== Legacy ==

The 2020 protests left lasting marks on Philadelphia. Police reforms, while modest by activist standards, exceeded what had been achievable before. The Rizzo statue's removal changed Center City's symbolic landscape. Conversations about race, policing, and inequality that had been confined to particular communities became citywide discussions. Organizations formed during the protests continued advocacy work afterward. The protests demonstrated that mass mobilization could achieve results, encouraging continued activism on racial justice and other issues.<ref name="leblanc"/>

Yet the protests' long-term impact remains contested. Crime rose during and after 2020, with murder rates reaching levels not seen in decades; critics blamed police reforms and demoralization for the increase, while defenders pointed to pandemic disruption and other factors. The backlash against reform contributed to electoral politics, with public safety becoming a dominant issue in subsequent elections. Philadelphia's experience illustrated both the potential and the limits of protest movements—their capacity to force change and the difficulty of sustaining momentum against resistant institutions. The struggle for racial justice continues, shaped by 2020's uprising but not resolved by it.<ref name="taylor"/>