Everyone in a crowd could be charged with felonies over the actions of a few
A bill that would create a felony penalty for people who were part of a protest where rioting broke out appears to be as broad as it sounds. During a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, on Thursday, questions persisted as to who exactly the bill would apply to if it were to pass. Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), who chairs the committee, testified as one of the bill’s authors, saying that it “addresses the growing popularity of riots and the damage that they perpetrate in our communities.”
The riot bill is the second attempt in five years by Wisconsin Republicans to pass such a law. The current bill, SB-296 and its Assembly version, were drafted in reaction to the summer of protest that followed the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Rep. John Spiros (R-Marshfield) explained last month in an Assembly hearing that the bills have has “become especially relevant after rioting that has happened over the course of the last year around our state.” Wanggaard said that, “the intention of this bill is not to punish peaceful protesters participating in a lawful gathering.”
Both the bill’s language and Wanggaard’s testimony, however, do not rule out criminalizing non-violent protest. “Current law addresses the harmful actions that are often associated with rioting only after violating unlawful assembly laws, and after refusing to disperse when ordered,” Wanggaard...
Read Full Story: https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/09/17/riot-bills-penalties-are-as-broad-as-they-seem/
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