Is It Better to Take to the Streets?

Is is that because would be protesters have internalized that there are significant costs to protest during those periods? Or is that because national level events don't resinate to the extent that local events do? I here think of the famous saying by former speaker of the house tip o'neil, that all politics is local. You know, your passions are more likely to be moved by a gathering of local elites around issues,. or you feel like you might have more of a ability to effect an outcome.