It really depends, but since you used the example of being shot by the police, it seems you're mainly focused on black American protests as opposed to the protests going on in France or elsewhere. In that regard, I like this quote from Martin Luther King Jr., a notable proponent of nonviolent protest.

“Urban riots must now be recognized as durable social phenomena they may be deplored, but they are there and should be understood. Urban riots are a special form of violence. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or to attain control of institutions. They are mainly intended to shock the white community. They are a distorted form of social protest. The looting which is their principal feature serves many functions. It enables the most enraged and deprived Negro to take hold of consumer goods with the ease the white man does by using his purse. Often the Negro does not even want what he takes; he wants the experience of taking.”

Of course, this was from the civil rights movement and lacks some of the context of the modern era, but I think it really does give a bit of perspective.