Florida has passed a so-called ‘anti-riot’ bill that would impose heavy fines on protesters, give the Republican governor a victory and give civil rights groups a slap in the face warning it would stifle discord.
The bill, which was approved by the Republican-controlled legislature on Thursday, contains stricter penalties for crimes committed during a riot or violent protest. It will enable authorities to detain arrested protesters until the first court appearance, and it will create new crimes to organize or take part in a violent protest.
The proposal would make it a second-degree crime to destroy or demolish a memorial, plaque, flag, painting, structure or other object commemorating historical people or events. It would punish up to ten years in prison.
It will also protect local governments from civil liability if they interfere with law enforcement efforts to respond to a violent protest, and it adds language to state legislation that could force local governments to justify a reduction in law enforcement budgets.
State republics have argued the bill is about ‘law and order’ and the prevention of violence. Its approval is a major legal victory for Governor Ron DeSantis, who began fighting last year for the measure after a summer of nationwide protests over racism and police brutality against Black Americans.
But critics call the legislation an assault on the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as an attempt to restrict the right to freedom of speech and to assemble peacefully.
Indeed, the origins of the measure stem from a Sept. 21 press conference held by the governor, in which he, along with State Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls, spoke about the unrest in cities across the country. to condemn. and what he referred to as attacks on law enforcement.
Following the final adoption of the bill, DeSantis said it was looking forward to signing the measure into law.
“This legislation strikes the right balance between protecting every Floridian’s constitutional right to assemble peacefully, while punishing those behind peaceful protests to cause violence in our communities,” the governor said in a statement.
The measure drew intense reactions over the months as community activists gathered in the state capital to urge lawmakers to reject the effort.
The American Civil Liberties Union has said the new law will give police wide discretion over what a protest and riot is.
“The bill is deliberately designed to incite the diverse police treatment we have seen time and time again against black and colored people exercising their constitutional right to protest,” said Micah Kubic, executive director of ACLU of Florida.
Christina Kittle, an organizer of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, warned that the new law could increase clashes between police and protesters.
“It was definitely a blow to our morale,” she said. “I’m not sure if it’s going to be a setback, but it was created to intimidate people and stop people from coming out.”
Senator Darryl Rouson, a former president of the NAACP in St. Petersburg who has joined every Democrat and a lone Republican to vote for the bill, said the new law will not stop anyone from protesting a fair case.
“It will not stop people from getting up,” Rouson said.
“It will not stop anything except those who are afraid. I’m not scared, ”he said. “I just want to tell people: keep knocking, keep protesting, keep getting up despite an attempt to silence voices.”