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The Toughest Anti-Riot Bill in the Nation
Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to demonstrate his courage in passing legislation that protects Florida’s citizens, punishes rioters who indulge in destruction and mayhem, and stands up for the rule of law. DeSantis said:
‘If you look at the breadth of this particular piece of legislation, it is the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country,’ DeSantis said at a press conference. ‘There’s just nothing even close.’
DeSantis explained the legislation further at a press conference in Polk County, FL. (The first five minutes of the video give the foundation of the legislation.) Here is a brief description as well:
The law, which goes into effect immediately, grants civil legal immunity to people who drive through protesters blocking a road and allows authorities to hold arrested demonstrators from posting bail until after their first court date. The legislation increases the charge for battery on a police officer during a riot and adds language that could force local governments to justify a reduction in law enforcement budgets.
The bill allows people to sue local governments over personal or property damages if they were determined to have interfered with law enforcement response during civil unrest. It also increases penalties for protesters who block roadways or deface public monuments and creates a new crime, ‘mob intimidation.’
For all those blue-state Democrats who care more about rioters than they do law-abiding citizens, I hope they have the decency to feel embarrassed. Gov. DeSantis, for months, has stood up to criticisms and lies regarding his wisdom and the practical actions he’s taken regarding Covid-19, because he refuses to treat his citizens like children and he values their freedom as well. He studied the rioting and destruction that inflamed other cities and has been adamant about preventing those activities in Florida.
Of course, the ACLU is critical of the legislation:
‘The problem with this bill is that the language is so overbroad and vague … that it captures anybody who is peacefully protesting at a protest that turns violent through no fault of their own,’ said Kara Gross, the legislative director at ACLU Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel. ‘Those individuals who do not engage in any violent conduct under this bill can be arrested and charged with a third-degree felony and face up to five years in prison and loss of voting rights. The whole point of this is to instill fear in Floridians.’
My response to Ms. Gross is that following these laws is quite simple. If you are involved in a peaceful protest that turns violent, common sense tells the ordinary person to go home. If they weren’t involved in the initial violence and they immediately leave the area, they have nothing to worry about. And as far as instilling fear in Floridians: anyone who thinks that protests are open season for destructive and malevolent actions, they’d better find a new home.
To those governors around the country who are happy to cater to the Leftist ideology, or who cower in standing up for law enforcement, take note. Gov. DeSantis believes in his citizens, honors the country’s Constitution, and will protect it.
I’m so proud to have a governor with a moral compass, a conscience and has acted upon them.
Published in Domestic Policy
Fox News was not all that pro-Trump as it turned out, and from what I find their audience is about .5% of the US population. Fox News also requires some kind of premium/cable TV service, versus people being able to see and hear Reagan with an antenna.
KE, you are the eternal pessimist! LOL. OK.
Or is it just being realistic? Ask 100 people on the street who did a better job with covid, DeSantis or Cuomo, and see what you get.
“No one I know voted for Nixon.” Pauline Kael created the meme for our social and national media bubbles. I acknowledge I am in a bubble and I do not assume that who I know and what they think is predictive of what is to come. I have always been cautious about how representative my own thinking is of most people. These days I am even more cautious.
Exactly! But then again, the ACLU is in the business of challenging laws it doesn’t like. I’d ask Ms. Gross to give us an example of a fair, anti-riot law . . .
That’s the part that drives me nuts, @stad. It’s like the manager who can tell you that you’re not producing the right product, but he can’t tell you what he wants. G-r-r-r-r!
We used to call that the “bring me a rock” style of management . . .
Susan, you have encapsulated my feeling of pride so precisely that I took the liberty of quoting this passage in my second (!) post on my brand new substack blog, jimgeorge.substack.com. Thank you for this fine article; as I said in my post, if only more governors would stand up with the same backbone and courage as ours has, we would have a much better chance of saving our Republic. By the way, although it is quoted in my post, I thought I would take the liberty of setting out the Letter to the Editor I just wrote the Pensacola News Journal, while being fully realistic about the infinitesimal chances of it being published in that liberal paper to whom Gov. DeSantis is pure anathema:
Thanks again for this great post.
Sincerely, Jim
Jim, I’m honored for your reference to me in your post. Congrats on your new blog! You are terrific about putting your money where your mouth is; your letter to the Pensacola News Journal is commendable and powerful. Let me know if they surprise you by publishing it! These are the ways we can speak out and speak to truth. You, my friend, are a truth-teller. Thank you.
Clickable.
Hope springs eternal!
I sure did appreciate being termed a truth-teller; after a lifetime as a trial lawyer, it is so nice to have a time in my life when I am not referred to by other, less savory, terms! And, we do see, don’t we, more and more clear illustrations of citizens being so intimidated they wouldn’t even think of writing a letter even as harmless as this one. Sad commentary on our times, and the preponderance of evidence as I see it is that it is just going to get worse.
Thanks , Jim.
I am skeptical. Reporting proof requirements all of that can be easily gotten around. Only if there is other checks by other areas would it make sense say by the elected Sheriff or other elected officials.
The only type of check that ever works is separate areas of goverment doing the check.
Thanks for signing up! Hope I can say something worthwhile every once in a while! Jim
Looking forward to the New York Times and Washington Post stories during the campaign of 2024 where they wish the Republican candidates were less extreme, and more reasonable and moderate like Donald Trump was.
2024 may be a bit early for that, but I have no doubt it’s coming.