'Anti-Riot' Bills In Florida, Iowa Would Crack Down on Black Lives Matter Protests
The Florida legislature passed a controversial anti-riot bill last week that’s expected to soon be signed into law by Republican governor Ron DeSantis. Now, experts say other states are following Florida’s lead, with a wave of bills that expand on the definition of riots, criminalizing protesters with harsher penalties, and potentially threatening free speech.
A new USA Today report shows that similar laws — which have been criticized as racially biased and come amid ongoing mass protests against police killings — are being or have recently been considered in states including Iowa, Kentucky, Arizona, and Tennessee.
In Florida, HB1 broadens the definition of a riot and increases penalties for crimes committed during one. Critics say it criminalizes peaceful assembly.
“HB1 is racist, unconstitutional, and anti-democratic, plain and simple,” the ACLU of Florida said. “The bill was purposely designed to embolden the disparate police treatment we have seen over and over again directed towards Black and brown people who are exercising their constitutional right to protest.”
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/anti-riot-bills-black-lives-matter-protests
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