It needs a trifecta. Protests, Politics, and "Persuasion".
The protests give weight to the political group. They also give cover and a place to organise for harder actions.
The political elements act to focus the will of the protestors, and provide guidance to the agitators.
The "Persuasion" group add teeth to the political demands. They also act to defend the protestors, when the government gets aggressive.
The 3 need to work together to achieve major changes. "The Troubles", in northern island are a good example. The IRA didn't achieve much/anything practical. What they did was force the UK government to sit down and negotiate in (vaguely) good faith. The protests and marches acted to show large scale support for the changes.
Against an intelligent, aware government, the need for violence is implicit, rather than explicit. It's a lot better to engage early and diffuse political hot potatoes. Unfortunately, the US government doesn't seem like they will take the hints.
The marches should be used to crystallise the other 2 requirements. A political agency, to act as a voice. As well as those willing to go further, to act as the muscle.
Pis are excellent mini computers. Unfortunately, their long term reliability isn't quite there. When I used one, I was getting a couple of lock up crashes a year. It doesn't sound like much, but it's just enough to be REALLY frustrating to the (less technical) wife. The tipping point is when it goes from "nice to have" to "expected".
I acquired a 2nd hand NUC, and it's been bomb proof for a few years now.