After nearly a year of protests and civil unrest, Republican governors and state legislators are broadening the definition of “riots.”
The measures come amid debate about police tactics and how far protests against them should be allowed to go in cities. The proposals have gained support since last summer after the death of George Floyd sparked violent mass protests across the country. Floyd, a black man, was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted Tuesday on murder and manslaughter charges.
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Anti-riot legislation was spurred amid nationwide anticipation that violence would break out in major metropolitan cities if the jury overseeing the Chauvin murder trial in Minneapolis returned a “not guilty” verdict.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday signed legislation that beefs up penalties for crimes that occur during riots and allows law enforcement to detain protesters until a first court appearance. Additionally, the new law classifies certain violations for engaging in a violent protest, among other measures. At a bill-signing ceremony, DeSantis and Republican lawmakers repeatedly mentioned Black Lives Matter protests.
Other states are proposing their own versions of anti-riot legislation that fall along party lines. In Tennessee, lawmakers are working on legislation that would legally protect drivers who run over protesters swarming or blocking vehicles during violent demonstrations. Similar legislation in Iowa and Oklahoma passed the House in both states.
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Republican lawmakers across 34 states put forth 81 bills to counter violent protests this legislative session, according to Elly Page, a senior legal adviser at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, which tracks legislation limiting the right to protest.
In Minnesota, a new bill proposed in the Legislature would make an individual convicted of a crime at a demonstration barred from receiving student loans and numerous other forms of state financial aid.
Other provisions include prohibiting protesters from keeping their government jobs and benefits as well as making it more difficult for local governments to reduce the budgets or completely defund their police departments.
Critics, though, call the anti-riot laws thinly veiled efforts to squelch the free speech rights of protesters standing up against police brutality. Some provisions have drawn lawsuits. Moreover, they say, Republican governors and lawmakers have been conspicuously quiet in condemning supporters of former President Donald Trump, who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a bid to stop counting of Electoral College ballots that made Joe Biden president-elect.
