It could possibly be a small group of “extremist” benders causing problems for non-benders. Or feeling superior to non-benders, should be an interesting storyline once the series starts.

Could be something like in Zuko Alone where benders use their power to bully non-benders. Although, in that episode there was just the one earth bender, but the same idea stands. I would guess it has to be something like benders are running the city by abusing their bending powers but the non-benders obviously don’t like that.

There’s lots of possibilities, though.

@koo101
That could be it. It would also mean the Non Benders would be Against the Avatar Also which could Shock Korra if the rebellion is confined to Republic City and she has never been there.

@Colby
That is a very good point Colby! I never would have thought of it that way.

I thought there would have been rebellions against the Benders because of the war that they all went though in ATLA. At the end we are left with Fire Lord Zuko promising a new era of peace and love between all four nations, but we know humankind is never that simple lol. In a future where steampunk technology is obviously making things easier for everyone that perhaps bending isn’t always needed. We saw tanks firing fire balls and drills knocking down walls in ALTA, who knows where the technology has led to now. They could have all come to the conclusion that bending the elements was what led to destruciton of all their homes in the first place, let’s not forget that the Earth benders did some destruction of their own too. During the war quite a lot was destroyed through all bending of the elements, the non-benders could have said ‘Yes you saved us from the Fire Nation but what’s the point if you’re Earth/Water/Air bending destroyed our homes and cities anyways’
Not bending could have been an insurance thing within the city, for security reasons to keep everything in natural order.
My own opinion on it all is that coming off of all that is that the people in charge/government/royalty/military have taken advantage of the people’s aggreviences against bending and given the public another way of living and functioning as a society through steampunk technology BUT of course the people in charge control the technology. This leads to a suppression of the people of the Republic City, the people (Benders) have no power, the people in charge have all the power through Steampunk and they keep the Anti-Bender thing going.
Avatar Korra comes to save the day!

Man I can’t wait!