Republicans Legalize Hitting Protesters With a Car

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Florida Anti-protest Laws Protect Drivers Who Hit Protesters

Lawmakers in at least six GOP-controlled states have either passed or pushed for laws that would shield drivers from prosecution who hit protesters

 

Republicans Want to Make Running Over Protesters 100% Legal

As the nation mourns the death of Heather Heyer, murdered by a domestic terrorist and neo-nazi in a car, lawmakers are seeking to protect motorists from liability if and when they do the same. In six states, legislation is being considered to ultimately legalize hitting and running over protesters who block roadways, the answer to frequent calls from anti-protest Republicans.

 

Conservatives Caught Sharing ‘How-To Run Over People’ Video

As the nation mourns the death of Heather Heyer, murdered by a domestic terrorist and neo-nazi in a car, Lawmakers in at least six GOP-controlled states have pushed for laws that would shield drivers from prosecution who hit protesters.

Legislation is being considered to ultimately legalize hitting and running over protesters who block roadways, the answer to frequent calls from anti-protest Republicans. Two Republican lawmakers in North Dakota started the trend in January when they introduced a bill that would protect motorists who hit pedestrians blocking traffic, as long as the consequences are unintentional.

In Tennessee, lawmakers proposed a measure to protect drivers from civil liability after a motorist ran into safety workers at a rally against President Trump’s travel ban in Nashville. Police said that five or six protesters ended up on top of an SUV before the driver, who was not arrested, left the scene.

According to The Outline, lawmakers in Florida, Rhode Island, and Texas have also flirted with similar measures this year. In Florida, a bill died in committee that would have prohibited lawsuits against drivers who “unintentionally” hit protesters, putting the burden of proof on the protesters. A proposal in Rhode Island, meanwhile, has been held for “further study.” And a bill in Texas, proposed in July, was recently referred to committee.

Shielding drivers from liability is not the only way Republican states have attempted to crack down on peaceful protests since the start of the Trump presidency. According to the Washington Post, Republican lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced bills to crack down on protesters. Among those proposals are bills that would allow cities to sue protesters in order to collect money to pay police forces required at demonstrations, increase the potential penalty for nonviolent demonstrations, and increase fines against picketers.

 

Republicans in 6 states are trying to protect drivers who hit protesters

As white nationalists and counter-protesters clashed in Charlottesville on Saturday, 20-year old James Field allegedly got into his car and plowed through a crowded street, killing a 32-year old woman and injuring 19 others. Fields was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder.

Per the above article: Republicans in 6 states are trying to protect drivers who hit protesters.

“Shielding drivers from liability is not the only way Republican states have attempted to crack down on peaceful protests since the start of the Trump presidency. According to the Washington Post, Republican lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced bills to crack down on protesters. Among those proposals are bills that would allow cities to sue protesters in order to collect money to pay police forces required at demonstrations, increase the potential penalty for nonviolent demonstrations, and increase fines against picketers. Lee Rowland, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, told ThinkProgress in January that she found it troubling that states would prioritize anti-free speech legislation at the beginning of their legislative sessions.

“This is a marked uptick in bills that would criminalize or penalize protected speech and protest, and every person should be alarmed at that trend,” she said, calling the bills unconstitutional. “We should also be alarmed by the attitude they betray, which is that when Americans get out into the streets and make their voices heard — recently, in record numbers — their elected representatives’ response is not to listen to those concerns but to attempt to silence and criminalize them.”