How far can protesters go before the government steps in?
The protests of 2016, against pipelines and police shootings and a presidential candidate, have sparked lawmakers in eight states to consider bills boosting penalties for unlawful demonstrations. They include one that would protect drivers who ?unintentionally? run over activists blocking roads and another aimed at forcing protesters to pay up to three times the costs of any damage they caused.
In Washington state, a lawmaker termed some protests ?economic terrorism? and introduced a bill that would permit judges to tack on an additional year in jail to a sentence if the protester was ?attempting to or causing an economic disruption.
?In Minnesota, a person convicted of participating or being present at ?an unlawful assembly? could be held liable for costs incurred by police and other public agencies.And in Indiana, a proposed law would direct police encountering a mass traffic obstruction to clear the road by ?any means necessary,? echoing a phrase made famous by Malcolm X during the 1960s civil rights movement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...624_story.html
The protests of 2016, against pipelines and police shootings and a presidential candidate, have sparked lawmakers in eight states to consider bills boosting penalties for unlawful demonstrations. They include one that would protect drivers who ?unintentionally? run over activists blocking roads and another aimed at forcing protesters to pay up to three times the costs of any damage they caused.
In Washington state, a lawmaker termed some protests ?economic terrorism? and introduced a bill that would permit judges to tack on an additional year in jail to a sentence if the protester was ?attempting to or causing an economic disruption.
?In Minnesota, a person convicted of participating or being present at ?an unlawful assembly? could be held liable for costs incurred by police and other public agencies.And in Indiana, a proposed law would direct police encountering a mass traffic obstruction to clear the road by ?any means necessary,? echoing a phrase made famous by Malcolm X during the 1960s civil rights movement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...624_story.html
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