I believe this has tied & will go to a tiebreak.
I don't usually kick up a big fuss but I hope that this is defeated/veteod to allow the bill to be re-introduced without certain elements; I'm also interested in whether this would apply to federal law enforcement or also state/county enforcement?
Some of the major issues.
Police may only interfere with protests or arrest protesters if it can be reasonably determined that the protesters in question committed violent acts.
Surely violent should be changed to criminal- as I understand it this act would stop the police from lawfully arresting individuals who are protesting; the hypothetical might extent to someone facing a warrant for tax offenses- if they went to protest out city hall in a tent could they ever be arrested?
Likewise it also allows for protestors to carry out numerous criminal actions during a protest; whether that's blocking highways with objects, blocking runways or even the whole vast list of
criminal but non-violent crimes that would be allowled.
While protesters may request police protection, police may not block protesters from going to certain areas, unless protestors are blocking access to hospitals, medical centers, police stations, and court houses.
Isn't this too narrow? Even before Covid you'd this extended to say airports, National security infrastructure, nuclear facilites- and now we'd want to protect areas like Morgues & Mass burial sites.
