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chemgear · 08-14-2017, 09:12 AM

https://theoutline.com/post/2093/why...ver-protesters

A reasonable person might say that, scared or not, someone who plows a car into dozens of people in a street should be held accountable for their actions. But in the wake of recent protest movements including Black Lives Matter, authoritarian state legislators across the country have been working to legitimize the act of crashing a car into people on the street if those people happen to be protesting.

North Dakota started the trend in January, with a bill in the aftermath of protests at Standing Rock that aimed to shield drivers who killed protesters with their cars from criminal and civil liability if they “exercised reasonable care.” The bill narrowly failed in the North Dakota House. In February, Tennessee state representative Matthew Hill proposed a bill that would have also banned lawsuits against drivers who hit peaceful protesters; Hill’s bill died in committee. The Florida Senate’s iteration of the bill, introduced in February, meanwhile, simultaneously created a misdemeanor for someone who “obstructs or interferes with the regular flow of vehicular traffic” and barred lawsuits against drivers who “unintentionally” hit protesters. The burden of proof would have been on the protester who was hit by the car; that bill died in committee. Rhode Island had a similar bill introduced in March; a week later, it was held for “further study.”

Rather, these bills are part of an attempt to quell and control civil rights movements. Republican legislators are attempting to ease restrictions on drivers murdering demonstrators. At the same time, they’re also trying to criminalize peaceful protest.

08-14-2017, 09:12 AM	#7878
chemgear Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Exp:	https://theoutline.com/post/2093/why...ver-protesters A reasonable person might say that, scared or not, someone who plows a car into dozens of people in a street should be held accountable for their actions. But in the wake of recent protest movements including Black Lives Matter, authoritarian state legislators across the country have been working to legitimize the act of crashing a car into people on the street if those people happen to be protesting. North Dakota started the trend in January, with a bill in the aftermath of protests at Standing Rock that aimed to shield drivers who killed protesters with their cars from criminal and civil liability if they “exercised reasonable care.” The bill narrowly failed in the North Dakota House. In February, Tennessee state representative Matthew Hill proposed a bill that would have also banned lawsuits against drivers who hit peaceful protesters; Hill’s bill died in committee. The Florida Senate’s iteration of the bill, introduced in February, meanwhile, simultaneously created a misdemeanor for someone who “obstructs or interferes with the regular flow of vehicular traffic” and barred lawsuits against drivers who “unintentionally” hit protesters. The burden of proof would have been on the protester who was hit by the car; that bill died in committee. Rhode Island had a similar bill introduced in March; a week later, it was held for “further study.” Rather, these bills are part of an attempt to quell and control civil rights movements. Republican legislators are attempting to ease restrictions on drivers murdering demonstrators. At the same time, they’re also trying to criminalize peaceful protest.