Anti-protest bills and an angrier America
By Hannah McDonald
To the average American who stays mildly up to date with current events and the news, it appears that everyday there is a new protest happening somewhere across the nation. The causes are all different but something reins true for them all. There are people who are for and against the cause.
Since the election of Donald Trump, there have been at least 18 states where Republican lawmakers have proposed or voted in legislation that would curb mass protests, The Washington Post said.
From coast to coast, bills that would punish protesters have been introduced. In Missouri, lawmakers want to make it illegal for someone to hide their face with a mask or disguise during a protest. This was inspired by protests in Ferguson that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
In Tennessee, State Rep., Rep. Matthew Hill has filed for a bill that would protect drivers from protest complications. If this bill passes a driver who hits a protestor who is blocking the right of way, the driver is protected against civil liability if the demonstrator is injured.
Those who are protesting in Arizona now may be considered rioters, which gives police forces more power. “SB1142 expands the state’s racketeering laws, now aimed at organized crime, to also include rioting. And it redefines what constitutes rioting to include actions that result in damage to the property of others,” Arizona Capital Times said in an article published this Feb.
There is clear reasoning behind why bills aimed against protests are being pushed. Protests can cause a multitude of complications when they turn violent. There can be injuries to fellow demonstrators in large, mobile crowds. Bystanders can be sucked in and harmed too, in some cases. Then there is the harm of police forces that is a concern.
With massive demonstrations, property damage is common. Any time that thousands of people are tromping over the same grass, lawns will be torn up. On the more aggressive side of it, cars that stand in the way of seas of people are at risk.
The blocking of streets and highways also create problems. Commuters are unable to get to work and preform tasks that keep companies, communities and local economies working. Businesses are also forced to close in some cases due to crowds. If they do stay open, the clientele may not be able to make it to the store, causing businesses to lose money or the stores may be filled with demonstrators instead of paying customers.
There is no denying that protests cost municipalities money either. With demonstrations — peaceful or not — comes large amounts of waste and trash, filling the streets. This, in addition to the potential destruction and the paying of police forces, makes the cost add up quickly.
Despite the clear reasoning behind these bills, proposing legislation that limits protests will create a large fundamental problem in our country. These bills are being called, “an attack on protest rights throughout the states,” by civil liberties experts.
The new laws go against constitutional rights to assemble and protest. There are differences between protests and riots, yes, but these attempts to limit the options and abilities of protesters is going to make it worse in the long run.
Telling people they cannot hide their faces, even if it is as protection from flying objects or tear gas (both of which are common in large scale protests, when aggression ensues), is dangerous to all those around.
Making it okay for drivers to hit protesters in the street is going to make the injury and death toll rise too. As with all demonstrations there are people who do not agree with it. There is no doubt that some of these people will use the new bill to make a point against the demonstration and harm others.
And changing the classification to make a larger number of protests and demonstrations, “riots,” will simply insinuate more violence. When the word riot is used, people imagine riot shields, armed guards, fighting, cars being lit on fire, storefronts being vandalized and a number of other things. If this is the image that comes to mind, then people are going to act to fill the role.
Along with the language used to talk about protests changing, people may feel as if they are losing their voice. Restrictions on the actions they can take to show outrage, make a statement or prove a point can feel a lot like silencing.
As bills limiting the freedoms of protests and what can be done at them, continue to be introduced and gain popularity, it is only a matter of time until protests in entirety are outlawed.
If no one speaks up, nothing ever changes. This has been true for all of time. We would not be a country, had someone not spoken up about what they believed to be injustices. If these voices are silenced, we are destined to remain stagnant, never growing or changing for the rest of time.
