Arizona Senate votes to seize assets of those who plan, participate in protests that turn violent

Arizona Capital Times ^ | 02/24/2017 | Howard Fischer

[MaxistheBest]

Claiming people are being paid to riot, Republican state senators voted Wednesday to give police new power to arrest anyone who is involved in a peaceful demonstration that may turn bad — even before anything actually happened.

SB1142 expands the state’s racketeering laws, now aimed at organized crime, to also include rioting. And it redefines what constitutes rioting to include actions that result in damage to the property of others.

But the real heart of the legislation is what Democrats say is the guilt by association — and giving the government the right to criminally prosecute and seize the assets of everyone who planned a protest and everyone who participated. And what’s worse, said Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, is that the person who may have broken a window, triggering the claim there was a riot, might actually not be a member of the group but someone from the other side. ---------------------------------------

But Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said that chilling effect is aimed at a very specific group of protesters. “You now have a situation where you have full-time, almost professional agent-provocateurs that attempt to create public disorder,’’ he said. “A lot of them are ideologues, some of them are anarchists,’’ Kavanagh continued. “But this stuff is all planned.’’ -------------------------------------

There’s something else: By including rioting in racketeering laws, it actually permits police to arrest those who are planning events. And Kavanagh, a former police officer, said if there are organized groups, “I should certainly hope that our law enforcement people have some undercover people there.’’

[i_robot73]

>
Why do lawmakers have to invent something new rather than enforcing existing laws ?
>

A: Because it gives them something to crow about during re-election time (”I did *something* ‘bout XYZ...”), while increasing the scope\size\power of govt and providing more lawyer-speak for the ‘revolving door ‘o Justice’ (IE $$$ for lawyers and judges) whom graft\kick-back to those during re-election to start the cycle over again?

Unless you meant that rhetorically /s

[i_robot73]

Slight correction:

Democrats are da d’ebil, and Republicans are wilful accomplices.

You are correct about the Banana Republic in which we live, ‘rights’ in but name only.

[veracious]

If we cannot agree to follow the law, especially the supreme law, then USA is done.
So few even understand why it matters, completely. Sad.
If you want to enable forfeiture, then amend the supreme law. If you want to allow law outside of it, you are an enemy of it (USConstitution).

[Eisenhower Republican]

Profoundly bad idea.

[Nailbiter]

The problem with this type of law - is it can be turned on the ones who enact.
Same type of thing to demonrats are hollowing about now- never expected to have to abide by laws they enacted.