Why would racist authorities want Civil Rights activists to be viewed as criminals instead of protesters?

The civil rights movement was an empowering yet precarious time for Black Americans. The efforts of civil rights activists and countless protesters of all races brought about legislation to end segregation, Black voter suppression and discriminatory employment and housing practices.

Explanation:

Incidents leading up to the French and Indian War, 1753–54. The French and Indian War, the North American phase of the larger Seven Years' War, began after a series of incidents in the upper Ohio River valley, which the French and British governments both claimed as their territory.