More states are following an example set last month by North Dakota, whose Republican-led legislature introduced a bill that allowed motorists to run down — and even kill — protesters blocking public roads, streets, or highways.
Now, according to CNN, lawmakers in Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa are considering similar legislation, much to the dismay of “the American Civil Liberties Union, which fears they would trample First Amendment rights.”
At the end of CNN’s lengthy exercise in teeth gnashing, Lee Rowland, an attorney for the ACLU submits that “legislators are supposed to honor the will of the people, not criminalize it,” adding:
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We are seeing an alarming trend of state bills introduced with the purpose or effect of criminalizing peaceful protest — an act that lies at the very core of the First Amendment’s protections.
Rowland went on to note that she is confident that these proposals, if passed, will “undoubtedly be struck down.” Kind of luck what will happen to the public nuisances who come into contact with two tons of steel because they lack the good sense to get out of the way.
While Rowland bemoans the trampled rights of “peaceful” protesters, she seems to have no problem trampling the rights of individuals in ambulances being rushed to emergency rooms who die in transit because protesters were having a tantrum.
