In the last few weeks, Republican legislators across the country started introducing proposals to criminalize and discourage peaceful protests, according to The Intercept.
The proposals, put forth in response to recent demonstrations from Black Lives Matter and Dakota Access Pipeline activists, would permit shocking anti-protest actions. One proposal in North Dakota would allow motorists to run over and kill protestors obstructing highways so long as it’s an “accident.” Another in Minnesota could land protestors in jail for more than a year if they block traffic, according to CBS Minnesota.
“This trend of anti-protest legislation dressed up as ‘obstruction’ bills is deeply troubling,” Lee Rowland, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, told The Intercept, adding that the goal of these legislators seems to be “chilling protest.”
Civil rights attorney Jordan S. Kushner also told The Intercept that he believes the goal of these bills is to “criminalize protesting to a greater degree and thereby discourage public dissent.”
Protests and peaceful demonstrations are a big concern as President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration weekend nears. Washington is in preparation mode for the many planned Anti-Trump protests, chief among them the Beyoncé-approved Women’s March on Washington, which will likely bring as many as 214,000 activists to the nation's capital. The Women’s March could become one of America’s biggest protests ever, according to The Guardian.
The proposed legislations might also impact the many protests that will likely come about during Trump’s administration. It remains to be seen how these laws would work around the First Amendment, which protects the “right of the people peaceably to assemble.” Rowland told The Intercept that he views the bills as “violations” of the Constitution.
In addition to the new proposals in North Dakota and Minnesota, similar bills were also introduced in Iowa, Michigan, and Washington.
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