Posted on 02/26/2024 1:41:03 PM PST by where's_the_Outrage?
New York Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D) recently introduced a bill that would designate as domestic terrorism the criminal offense of deliberately blocking “a public road, bridge, transportation facility or tunnel.” The bill also increases the current penalty range from that of a class A misdemeanor (maximum jail time of 364 days) to that of a class D felony (up to seven years in prison).
Representatives in Arizona, Tennessee, Minnesota and Washington have introduced similar legislation, targeting protestors by enhancing the offense class and corresponding penalties attached to blocking roadways.
If enacted, activists convicted of these offenses could become felons and potentially serve significant prison time. Even after release, they would be branded felons, which additional permanent consequences, such as limited voting rights and difficulty in securing employment and housing.
Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” provides a detailed indictment of how the criminal code has been amended and subsequently used to increase prosecutions and punishments, primarily targeting non-whites. Although neutral on its face, the disproportionate impact on communities of color, and the corresponding disenfranchisement, illustrate unmistakable and intentional structural, socio-economic and political marginalization.
It is not by chance that peaceful protests are being met with such a remarkably draconian level of punishment. In fact, there is historical precedent for this genre of criminalization. It is a transparent attempt to mute political opposition with the threat of prosecution. It would ultimately render activists unable to fully participate as citizens with equal rights within civil discourse.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
They should make it legal to run over traffic sitters and all accomplices would be charged with murder for any that die.
Even if they pass these laws, the prosecution of them will be selective and political.
Anti-Fithian
“...class A misdemeanor (maximum jail time of 364 days) to that of a class D felony (up to seven years in prison).”
A bit of a stretch for the increase in level.
“...the prosecution of them will be selective and political.”
You’re right there as it will just be enough to be token for their job. But even liberals are getting a bit miffed in New York. They may end up jailing their own and that won’t go good for voting in a few months.
wy69
wy69
Yep. Antifa could blow up bridges with no repercussions, but if a Trump supporter jaywalks at a protest he’ll be sent to Lubyanka on the Potomac for a few years of solitary before any trial.
Has anyone else noticed how generally women in power tend toward dictatorial control (as though they were managing their house with unruly children)?
Also, has anyone noticed how blacks tend toward authoritarianism as well (most if not all black countries are dictatorships)?
Could it be that whites are better able to rule under God with justice and liberty?
How many times does the Bible have to tell us that God made women to be keepers of the home and family and lovers of their husbands? Apparently not enough to matter in this tone-deaf age.
I believe both women and blacks have eaten (again) of the Tree of Death that LIES saying your VALUE is your ROLE.
Same old satanic lie now as it was 6000 years ago in the Garden. Same as it always was.
Without a doubt. I'd guess that out of the last 100 events where roads, commerce, and free travel were blocked that 90-95 were done by left-wingers.
Peaceful protest (where fakes ‘freely’ blend in as MAGAs and
cost trouble every time and none are arrested. Wonder why.
Never hear about peaceful rally Trump voters interrupting
the leftist with ‘Go Biden’ hats, and so on.
I forgot Biden doesn’t have enough at his rallies to bother with.
Maybe he needs to wear all pink or rainbow hats.
There’s an obvious effort on the organized left, who are so obviously the brownshirts for the Democrat party, to find their next George Floyd for their planned mayhem this summer in support of whoever is decided will replace Joe. The “Palestinian” cause is getting the dirty anarchists and the rest of the rabble into the streets into some of the larger blue cities, but they’re keeping their options open. In addition to Gaza, over the weekend they’re running a focus group test of sorts against Chaya Raichik (@Libsoftictok) over a confused teenage girl who started a fight at school, and wound up dying the following day. The leftists are trying to blame “transphobia”, and give a face to their opponent (in Alinsky’s terms “Freezing the target”). That seems to have marginal traction as well so far.
But this piece really does highlight the tactic they have been using so effectively for quite a few years now: intimidate and threaten normal citizens going about their day, and attempt to provoke a response, and then bring the full force of the state in the form of the criminal justice system down on the victims. That has to be preserved at all costs. The panic shown by this author reveals just how simple it would be to flip the script though. Certainly red states should be implementing legislation similar to Florida’s that clarifies the rights to self defence when one is surrounded by an angry mob armed with blunt instruments and who knows what else.
New York should be allowed to burn though.
Just enforce existing law. If a large enough number of road blockers were to cool their heels in a jail for 364 days, there would likely be a large decrease in the number of these incidents.
Remember when we were told that protesting the Wuhan lockdowns was irresponsibly dangerous, but that BLM protests were perfectly fine? The felony charges will depend on who is protesting what. Count on it.
Yes, I-40 bridge blockers have all been leftists.
Both times they have blocked the bridge there were ambulances trying to get people to the hospital.
The first time an ambulance was able to turn around and use an alternate bridge.
This last time, a month or so ago (marching for rapists and murderers in Palestine), the ambulance was trying to cross but could not use the alternate bridge because it was closed for repairs.
If something happened to the patient he/she should be allowed to sue the bridge blockers.
Everybody’s a terrorist.
“If enacted, activists convicted of these offenses could become felons and potentially serve significant prison time.”
Yes, that’s the idea. And then word gets out that doing these things is very costly, and then people stop doing it.
BTW: These are not peaceful protests. They are thefts of time and money.
1. Previous leftist protests targeted whites, who are mostly Republican. Recent protests target Jews, an influential group in the Democratic coalition.
2. Democrats want to appear tough-on-crime going into the election.
Those two are not unrelated. Democrats want to show Americans they are tough on crime, but they especially want to show Jews they are tough on anti-Semitic crimes.
The problem isn’t that they block the roads it’s that the police let them. Go back to 1955 and block a road and see how far you get.
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