Mediaboss Marketing

TROY Four Rensselaer County men who wore body armor and carried police batons while walking through the citys peaceful Black Lives Matter protest last June pleaded guilty in City Court to a variety of charges, according to court records.

Shane Fleming of Averill Park and Shelbi Vanderbogart of Poestenkill pleaded guilty Thursday to disorderly conduct, a violation, according to the court files. They were fined $250, given a conditional discharge in which they must not be arrested for one year and surrendered seized weapons.

Shawn Fleming and Nathaniel Shepard, both of Averill Park, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor, according to court records. They were also given a conditional discharge, surrendered seizedweapons and were fined $750, .

A fifth man, Noah Latham, who was a soldier in the U.S. Armys 10thMountain Division, still faces a felony charge of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. That charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted. Police have alleged that Latham was carrying a gun near the protest.

The five men were believed by authorities to have ties to a regional militia group, the New England Minutemen, based on a tactical manual recovered when they were taken into custody by Troy police on June 7.

Troy police recovered rifles, ammunition magazines that hold up to 30 rounds and illegal police batons from vehicles belonging to the suspects on June 7. Lathams handgun was identified by authorities as a ghost gun, which is assembled from parts sold by companies that exploit a loophole in federal and state gun control laws by providing "unfinished" hardware with the drill bits and instructions including video tutorials needed to make a fully functioning firearm. Such weapons are assembled from parts and do not have serial numbers.

Latham was a drone operator based at Fort Drum. At the time of his arrest, he held the rank of specialist E-4. Authorities said Latham was discharged from the Army; they did not know what type of discharge he received. He was released to return to Fort Drum on the condition that he wear a GPS monitoring device under the supervision of the Rensselaer County probation department and was confined to the base.

The five men were at the June 7 demonstration that attracted a crowd of an estimated 11,000 people to downtown Troy. The rally was the largest in the Capital Region among the many racial justice and anti-police brutality demonstrations held across the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.

See the rest here:
Four men arrested at Black Lives Matter protest in Troy plead guilty - Times Union

Like restaurants everywhere, Sonomas celebrated the Girl & the Fig restaurant has struggled due to the coronavirus pandemic over the past year, navigating temporary closures and reopenings as regulations changed. Wine Country wildfires last year added to the uncertainty for the usually thriving business.

But when it decided to shut its doors this week, neither health hazards nor climate change was to blame. Instead, a dispute over a servers desire to support the Black Lives Matter movement by wearing a BLM face mask has gone viral and led to charges of racism. The former server said she felt pressured to quit over her support of a civil rights issue. The restaurants owner said it was about maintaining a uniform look for an upscale vibe. Now, both are receiving death threats, and some have threatened to burn the restaurant down.

Its the latest blowup in a series of clashes over workplace dress codes, and whether political or social justice messaging should be allowed or encouraged. Some companies, such as Starbucks and Taco Bell, quickly reversed their bans on Black Lives Matter attire, while others, like Whole Foods, stood by their decision to prohibit logos and slogans. Often, the dispute involves a debate over whether Black Lives Matter is a political or human rights movement.

Those companies, though, are national chains. For independent restaurants like the Girl & the Fig, grappling with how to handle the issue can be critical to their survival, experts say. A younger generation of diners prefers to know the values of the businesses they patronize, with many saying that staying apolitical is a statement in itself. And with the downturn in sales due to the pandemic, any negative attention can be enough to sink a restaurant.

With younger, more inclusive and more diverse groups coming into leadership and vocalizing their opinions and their stances on issues, its only going to grow stronger, said Shaun Fletcher, a public relations professor with San Jose State University. The younger generation, theyre not bound by the politics and the business parameters that older generations have been bound by.

The Girl & The Fig is closed for an indefinite period in Sonoma, as the restaurant faces threats over its handling of a former server wearing a Black Lives Matter mask to work.

Almost since it opened in 1997, the Girl & the Fig has been a Wine Country destination, beloved for its French-influenced cuisine using local ingredients. Its owner, Sondra Bernstein, is widely respected in the Bay Area restaurant industry. The restaurant became a hotspot for celebrities like Lady Gaga and New York Times writers who found a charming and, in many ways, old-school restaurant where service is paramount and duck confit is almost always on the menu.

The restaurants uniform look for staff a crisp white shirt and green apron has long been part of the employee handbook. With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, and the added impact of wildfire smoke, face masks became standard, but the restaurants roughly 50 employees were allowed to wear masks they chose.

Kimi Stout, 34, began working as a server at the restaurant in early 2020, and in the summer after the death of George Floyd, she started wearing masks inscribed with Black Lives Matter. Stout, who identifies as part Asian, Mexican and queer, is a former Miss Sonoma County, longtime restaurant worker and current sales associate. She said she chose the masks because she wanted to show her support for the movement.

The controversial saga started in August, after her mask drew a hostile complaint from a customer. Her manager suggested she not wear it for her personal safety; she declined and continued wearing the masks. Three weeks later, on Sept. 1, the Girl & the Fig unveiled a new face mask policy, requiring staff to wear plain surgical masks or masks with the restaurants brand. Co-owner John Toulze says the new mask policy had been in the works for a while, an extension of its existing dress code after servers wore neon-colored masks or ones that didnt cover their nose. But Stout says she felt personally targeted, and after declining to adhere to the new policy, felt pressured to quit. On Feb. 4, she went public with her story on Instagram, leading to a viral report by SFGate. (The San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another.)

Kimi Stout sits on a bench in Petaluma with her Black Lives Matter face mask. Months after quitting her job at the Girl & the Fig, she now works as a part-time sales associate.

The backlash was swift. The Girl & the Fig shut down its Instagram account, and its Yelp and TripAdvisor pages became flooded with one-star reviews calling the owners racist. Its phone lines keep ringing, emails keep coming in, with threats to burn down the Sonoma restaurants building. The company has alerted local police and temporarily closed the restaurant, along with its cozy Glen Ellen offshoot the Fig Cafe & Winebar, out of an abundance of caution.

Stout and her supporters called on the Girl & the Fig to support Black organizations, something the restaurant historically hasnt done. Toulze called it a blind spot. The restaurant donates to nonprofits focused on local seniors, Latinos and the queer community a combination Toulze says reflects the demographics of Sonoma County, a region thats 62% white, 27% Latino and 2% Black.

Last summer, during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, Toulze said there werent as many protests or as much visible support compared to cities like San Francisco and Oakland.

We were insulated from the greater Black Lives Matter conversation because it wasnt a part of our community in the way I think it is in other parts of the Bay Area, Toulze said. We werent really dealing with it to be frank, and maybe thats the problem.

Stout is feeling overwhelmed by the online attention, both positive and negative. On one end of the spectrum, she is a hero, exposing the hypocrisy of a beloved restaurant that claims to be inclusive. On the other side, people paint a picture of an entitled liberal, just trying to get attention. On Thursday, she says she also started receiving death threats on social media.

A lot of those types of people who are criticizing me are the people who have granddaughters and daughters that participate in the Miss America program, Stout said. Maybe Im not just someone seeking attention. Ive actually done things in the community.

Kimi Stout wears her Black Lives Matter face mask, which she says resulted in her resignation from Sonoma restaurant the Girl & the Fig.

Many longtime customers have reached out to the Girl & the Fig, saying theyll come back to the restaurant when it reopens but plenty of others are saying they wont ever return.

At some point you start going, am I really a bad person? I dont know, Toulze said. When people are constantly telling you how horrible you are, its hard not to start feeling it.

For independent restaurants, the topic of a uniform may seem straightforward, but as public opinion shifts, managers need to be flexible when issues like this arise. Engaging with employees on their values is now smart business practice, and ultimately, Toulze failed to see the bigger picture, according to Fletcher.

It came across as disingenuous and somewhat callous in order to maintain his standing with the consumer base thats largely white, he said. I dont think he fully understood how strong the (Black Lives Matter) movement was its much stronger than a policy that he set.

During a politically divisive time, Fletcher said owners need to read the environment and understand that anyone speaking out about injustice can go viral on social media in minutes, attaching a stigma to the restaurant that can be hard to shake. By appearing to bow to customers who might complain about a Black Lives Matter mask, the Girl & the Fig alienated those who support marginalized communities. Whether that was the intention doesnt ultimately matter, Fletcher said.

The Girl & The Fig is temporarily closed in Sonoma, after reports that a server felt forced to quit her job over wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask.

Toulze doesnt know when hell reopen the restaurants, but hes talking to employees about ways to move forward. The company will require diversity and inclusion training for all staff and ownership, and it has pledged to contribute to an organization that calls on major retailers to stock 15% of their shelves with products from Black-owned businesses.

The face mask policy will remain in place, however, though Toulze is exploring other options to allow employees to express themselves while still in uniform, perhaps by wearing buttons.

While Stout says she doesnt feel every single restaurant needs to take a stand on issues like Black Lives Matter, shed prefer it if businesses were more transparent about their values.

I no longer believe in being quiet about your political stance out of respect, she said. The people who prefer to keep politics out of it are the ones who dont vote for my best interests as a brown, queer, female person.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker

Follow this link:
A Black Lives Matter mask shut down the Girl & the Fig, showing the high stakes for restaurants that stand on sidelines - San Francisco Chronicle

TORONTO May 2020 was a stressful time for Vancouver thrift-store owner Portia Sam as she prepared to reopen from the first wave of pandemic related retail shutdowns. Thinking about the health risks of COVID-19 left her so anxious she sometimes found herself shaking.

Then, George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. Sam's 20-year-old daughter was involved with the Black Lives Matter movement and Vancouver businesses talked of boarding up their windows after seeing the protests in the U.S. Sam had been ramping up Miscellany Finds social media activity during the lockdown period, but amid a surge of interest, now struggled to find the right words for her customers.

"I was enraged. For two months, I couldn't talk to people. I just did my work," says Sam of Floyd's killing and the protests.

Sam recalls receiving some touching offers of support from donors and customers, but she was already spread thin from the pandemic, the store, and the social enterprise job retraining program she runs there.

"My feelings were much too complicated," she says. "I couldn't dissect them bit by bit."

Like Sam, many Black entrepreneurs The Canadian Press spoke with said the past year has been a particularly emotional one.

In interviews, Black business owners said they wanted to take advantage of a new customer base pledging to #BuyBlack, but as well as long work days and a spike in potential clients, they were also confronted with feelings that did not fit neatly into a hashtag: anger that outrage over police brutality hadnt come sooner; reminders of local casualties of police brutality; discomfort with being tokenized or pitied; annoyance that the many immigrant communities of Black people were being painted with the same brush; and skepticism over whether the large corporations that had signed anti-racism pledges would follow through.

At the same time, many also described being grateful for a surge of tangible support from their communities in terms of social media followers and more importantly, customers.

On June 10, the Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism launched the BlackNorth initiative to boost Black representation in corporate leadership. Between June 4 and July 6, Uber Eats orders from Black-owned restaurants in Toronto rose 183 per cent, the company said. Between May 31 and June 6, Google searches for "Black-owned business" surged to all-time highs in Canada.

While search interest has remained higher than it was before, it has died down considerably since last summer. Meanwhile, the pandemic and its catastrophic effect on businesses has raged on. A recent note from TD Economics said that the pandemic has widened inequality, noting that visible minorities have an unemployment rate of 9.9 per cent in Canada, compared with 7.2 per cent for non-visible minorities.

Nevell Provo, founder and CEO of Nova Scotia-based Smooth Meal Prep and R&B Kitchen, says it is promising that the intention to promote Black-owned businesses is strong, but the key is finding long-lasting ways to put that goodwill into action.

"Maybe on the first day or the first week, you're getting some different calls. I was in a lot of different social media posts of, 'What are the Black businesses in Nova Scotia?' We're getting tagged left, right and centre," says Provo.

"They might come get a meal one day or search on the site, but they might not be our customer. It's a false hope, a head fake, for Black business owners.

Provo says these types of customers are less likely to become regulars since they arent choosing a product that fits a specific need, and it isnt easy to predict whether the spike in interest will last. One week where the orders are up, you start ordering inventory, he says.

Then these people go back to their regular lives."

Directories like ShopBlackOwned.ca have since expanded, and Provo says that as his own business becomes more visible, it has inspired other Black people to reach out and become entrepreneurs. But Provo says he knows that many will still face systemic issues, like predatory lending practices that make it hard to build good credit, or lenders that seem to doubt even the most conventional businesses owned by Black people.

Michael Pinnock, treasurer of the Black Business and Professional Association, says the wider Canadian community rallied last year to support the association, and it received a "tremendous" wave of financial support. While Pinnock is hoping the support lasts, his organization has a plan to stretch the funds for the long-term.

"It's a continuing process. Barbershops and salons and small businesses are still being affected ... A lot of our folks are working right now in smaller restaurants," says Pinnock. "It's probably going to get worse, because a lot of folks got hit big time with the first wave of the pandemic ... we're just finding ways to persevere."

The BBPA created an investment program where recipients of grants are encouraged to donate the sum back to the association once the business is profitable.

"CanadaHelps where we get a lot of our donations from the ordinary, average person that has been steadily and actually increased during the pandemic. Between July and October, corporate Canada did step up and did a lot for us," says Pinnock.

"One of the key, foundational things for us for many, many years is self-reliance and sustainability. What that means is when you get a government grant, most of the time thats one-off contribution. When you use it to deliver services, it's not an investment. At the end of the grant, you are back to where you started. What we have done is taken all these donations and contributions, made them into investments in the community."

Nana Osei, chief executive and co-founder of Bohten Eyeglasses, says their company has seen first-hand how difficult it can be to navigate the fundraising environment as a Black-owned business. Osei says Black-owned businesses would be better positioned if there was more mentorship on financing issues, as well as more transparent information widely available about the fundraising process.

Osei says that Bohten, for one, has seen the business momentum stay strong and gained repeat customers after the #BuyBlack movement last year. While the pandemic brought new challenges, Bohten says his past struggles as a Black business owner have prepared him to keep fighting for his business.

"Over the years, we've been very resilient just understanding what it really takes to grow a business when the odds are really stacked against you, says Osei.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2021.

Anita Balakrishnan, The Canadian Press

Read this article:
Black business owners persist through highs and lows of Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 - Airdrie Today

The family of Candace Breen, a Black woman living in Barrington, Rhode Island received a letter from her next door neighbor filled with pro-Trump conspiracy nonsense, racism and hateful rhetoric, demanding that Breen remove the Black Lives Matter signs from her lawn. (You can see the letter Breen received at the end of this piece.) Three weeks later, the community responded with a show of support for Breen, a public demonstration outside the Barrington Town Hall in the freezing cold on Saturday morning, where Breen herself delivered a forceful and emotion rebuke to hate, and where neighbors and representatives from Black Lives Matter Rhode Island, including the executive Director Gary Dantzler, came together to oppose hate and racism.

Breens words were courageous, public and truthful, the exact opposite of the cowardly, unsigned and conspiracy laden messages she received from her neighbor. Below are her words, and the video.

As you know my name is Candace Breen and Im a resident here in beautiful Barrington. I would like to thank you all for coming out here today to support this cause and to send a message that hate has no home here in our town. I would also like to thank everyone who has had a hand in creating and organizing this encouraging event and everyone who has emailed, sent letters or posted support online. Id like to say that my family and I are both humbled and extremely grateful and I can not overstate what your support has meant to us during this difficult time. Some of you here today may know me. Some know me by name. Some nobody in my face. Some from town meeting at Primrose Hill school. And some of you may know me from volunteering at school libraries.

Some of you only know me by my license plate when you see me driving through town. And if you dont know what it is, its Queen. No matter how you may know me, you will know that I am just a regular person. A wife, a mother to two beautiful children, a person perhaps you may be thinking is just like you. And I know that I may face consequences for speaking up, but I will not be quiet when confronted with hate. I will not be quiet when confronted with insults. I will not be quiet when confronted with irrational beliefs, such as how my Black Lives Matter flag on my lawn needs to be taken down because it offends someone. The fact that my life matters is not offensive. The belief that my life matters is not offensive, unless you believe my life doesnt matter.

My life matters. My childrens lives matter. And the old saying is true that none of us are free until all of us are free. Free from hate. Free from lies. Free from the insults. Free to be regular people living in a town, raising their kids, being good neighbors, just like you. Let us confront the hate. Let it be known that every person, no matter who they are, no matter what they look like, no matter what religion they practice, no matter what gender they present, what language they speak or whom they choose to love, has the right to exist. They have the right to exist, to feel welcome, to feel safe in their community, to live in peace and to feel safe in their own homes. Because guess what? Their lives matter. All of them.

Funding for our reporting relies on the generosity of readers like you. Our independence allows us to write stories that hold RI state and local government officials accountable. All of our stories are free and available to everyone. But your support is essential to keeping Steve and Will on the beat, covering the costs of reporting many stories in a single day. If you are able to, please support Uprise RI. Every contribution, big or small is so valuable to us. You provide the motivation and financial support to keep doing what we do. Thank you.

Opens in a new tab - you won't lose you place

All lives do matter, of course, but it is not all lives who are threatened by hate. Threatened by lies. Threatened by attempts at intimidation and told to be quiet and take down their signs. Let it be known that no individual has the right to shout vularities or racial slurs outside the home of a family or a person, especially when they know that family or person is already experiencing harassment. Let us tell people who spread that hate that their actions are unwelcome in the community. As the saying goes, if you see something, say something. And say it loud, for what hides in the darkness must be brought to light. The struggle is real. I can tell you that it does not feel good to be on the other end of that hate, but it must be called out for what it is. Racism. Racism. Racism, plain and simple.

For far too long blind eyes have been turned in the communities all across the country in regards to the injustice of our society. Blinded out by fear and blinded out of ignorance. Blinded by fear, ginned by the hateful forces of racism and ignorance. That one persons rights must come at the expense of anothers. But that is just a false equivalency. We are here today to reject such hateful and backward thinking. We say that Black peoples pain harassment and inequities are real and they must be addressed. Not later, not tomorrow, not somewhere else, but here and now today. Right here in Barrington, Rhode Island. I have spent my life, just like every other Black person in America, dealing with this stuff in and frankly, Im sick of it. I want to be safe. I want to be free from harassment. And if a Black person cant feel safe in their home here in Barrington, tell me, where do I have to go?

There is no place to go. There is no place to go. So we have to speak up now. If there is no desire to speak up now, then when? If I cant be safe here, then where? Let us not let feat keep us down and prevent us from addressing the issues that Black Americans continue to face. Let us set an example for our children and future generations and show them that they are just as good as the next person and that they deserve the same respect, security, equality, safety, and peace. Let us unite together as neighbors and friends and stare down the ugliness of racim so that those who once felt empowered in their hateful views and actions can no longer hurt members of the community who happen to look like me. And finally, let us go in peace, with love in our hearts, because that, in essence, is what will conquor the hate and the prejudices that have for far too long been an active part of this community. I love being here in Barrington, Rhode Island.. I love being here with you to say together that love conquers hate and that hates kind of no home here in our town. So again, thank you for being here today. I know that together we can stand for a brighter tomorrow for ourselves and our children and our childrens children. Bleesings, love and peace to you all.

All video and photos this page from reporter Adam Miner.

The event began with poetry from a Barrington resident:

Pastor Carl Jefferson:

Mel Bynum was the organizer of the event, and served as emcee.

Gary Dantzler, executive Director of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island:

Jennifer Dantzler:

Iasha Hall:

Mel Bynum:

Paige Rahn was another one of the organizers and she read a poem.

Mel Bynum:

Gary Dantzler:

About the Author

The hardest working news organization in Rhode Island! Uprise RI was founded in 2017 by Steve Ahlquist, and focuses on civil liberties, social justice, and human rights.

Adam is a current Board member for Townies for Responsible Government.

Read more here:
Barrington and Black Lives Matter rally to support Candace Breen Uprise RI - Uprise RI

Genee Tinsley helped organize rallies and marches in Palm Beach County, Florida, last summer to protest police brutality, demand racial justice and call for redirecting some police funding to social services.

Now shes organizing an online forum to teach people about a Florida bill that would increase penalties for unlawful activity during a protest. The bill could give law enforcement broad discretion to declare a gathering a riot and charge participants with a felony crime.

The bill also would make it harder for cities to cut police funding and prevent protesters from suing for damages if theyre injured by a counter-protester.

For me, its like theyre silencing protesters, Tinsley said, specifically Black and brown people.Tinsley said the protests her organization, Freedom Fighters for Justice, organized this summer were peaceful.

The Black Lives Matter protests that blossomed in small towns and big cities across the nation last year awakened many Americans to systemic racism and biased policing. Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans responded to themostly peacefulprotests, a few of which involved clashes among protesters, counter-protesters and police, by calling for law and order.

Now Republican legislators in Florida and 21 other states are considering tough new penalties for protesters who break laws. As in Florida, some of the bills also would prevent localities from cutting police budgets and give some legal protection to people who injure protesters.

Supporters say the new penalties would help prevent acts of violenceby protesters of all political persuasionsand protect law enforcement officers. Civil rights groups and Democrats, however, say the bills would chill First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly and could be used by police to disproportionately arrest and charge people of color.

Many of the statehouse proposals target specific acts of protest that were popular among Black Lives Matter participants and that echo activism during the civil rights movement, when protesters marched through streets or sat down at Whites-only lunch counters, taking up physical space in acts of civil disobedience.

Some protest activities, such as blocking traffic or marking buildings with graffiti, exist in a legal gray area, said Tabatha Abu El-Haj, a law professor at Drexel University who studies First Amendment law.

Its technically unlawful to block traffic, and at the same time thats an essential tactic in the right of peaceful assembly, in my view, she said.

Other protest tactics, such as tearing down monuments, are clearly illegal, she said, and limits on such behavior are likely constitutional.

Since the insurrection of Jan. 6, proponents say they also would hold right-wing extremists accountable for the same actions.

We have to strengthen our laws when it comes to mob violence, to make sure individuals are unequivocally dissuaded from committing violence when theyre in large groups, said Florida Rep. Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin, a Republican and sponsor of the House version of the bill, during a subcommittee hearing last week. Fernandez-Barquins office did not respond to requests for comment.

Civil rights experts, however, say the penalties could be applied unevenly. We know from existing data on arrests and convictions, [that] folks in the Black community, in particular, are over-incarcerated and overcharged, said Carrie Boyd, policy counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, the lobbying arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a Montgomery, Alabama-based group that advocates for racial justice in the South.

This bill, in our minds, is deliberately broad to cast a wide net and, frankly, to round up folks, she said of the Florida bill.

Police in full riot gear have confronted Black Lives Matter protesters and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, a show of force that hasnt been equally applied to right-wing protests.

Provisions in the bills that would prevent cities and counties from defunding the police reveal legislators real motivation, said Vera Eidelman, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Unions project on speech, privacy and technology.

To the extent that the claim is this is about methods, those kinds of provisions make it clear that its actually about a message of protest, she said.

In recent years, lawmakers in at least 15 states have responded to protests against police brutality and oil and gas pipelines by increasing penalties for unlawful protest activity, according to the International Center for Not-For-Profit law, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and tracks such bills.

Tennessee lawmakers last summer increased penalties for a range of offenses such as vandalism and assaulting first responders, and made it a felony to camp out on the grounds of the state Capitolwhich Black Lives Matter protesters did for 62 days last year.

If activists tried another sit-in at the Capitol, theyd risk up to six years in prison and losing their right to vote, as some convicted felons in Tennessee cant vote, said Justin Jones, a Vanderbilt Divinity School student who helped organize The Peoples Plaza last summer.

Jones said the new penalties make people think twice about protesting. That law had the effect of intimidating a lot of people from coming out, he said. It just made a lot of people a little bit more fearful to participate.

Supporters of the tougher penalties point not only to protests in their own states but also to unrest in cities such as Portland, Oregon and Seattle, which Trumps Justice Department labeled anarchist jurisdictions last year. Trump blamed antifascist, or antifa, agitators for violence at protests, although theresnot much evidence theyparticipated.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in September while introducingan early version of the Florida billthat although his states protests had been mostly peaceful, lawmakers needed to take action to avoid violence seen elsewhere.

What you have to have is clear and predictable penalties, he said at a news conference, flanked by uniformed sheriffs and police chiefs. I look at what goes on in Portland, and theyll have people, they arrest themthese are all scraggly-looking, antifa typesthey arrest them, they get their mugshot taken, and they get released, and its like a carousel.

Republican legislative leaders filed a bill similar to DeSantis proposal the same day a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol. DeSantis and legislative leaders said in statements then that they wanted to prevent similar violence in their states.

The 60-page bill would create new second-degree felony aggravated rioting and aggravated inciting or encouraging a riot offenses. It also would create new misdemeanor crimes of mob intimidation and cyber-intimidation, defined as publishing peoples personal information online to threaten them.

The bill would increase penalties for crimes such as assault and theft during a riotdefined broadly to mean three or more people behaving in a way likely to harm people or damage propertyand up the penalties for vandalizing or destroying monuments and memorials. And it would require people arrested for riot-related offenses to be held in jail until their first court hearing, rather than allowing them to post bail.

The law also would allow residents to appeal cuts to local police budgets to the governor and the cabinet, and it would allow people to avoid civil lawsuits if they harm those involved in a riot.

In Washington state, Republican state Sen. Jeff Holy, a retired police officer, has proposed legislation modeled on DeSantis proposal in response to the protests in Seattle and Tacoma.

Seattle, which has tried so very hard to have a hands-off policy, and try to solve problems, has found out that sometimes the people involved in these are not issue-driven, Holy said. They are looking for an excuse for violence.

Holys bill also would increase penalties for violence during a protest, such as a minimum six-month prison sentence for assaulting a police officer. It would cut state criminal justice funding for large cities and counties that dont maintain at least one police officer per 1,000 residents and would ban localities from withdrawing police from certain areas, as Seattle police withdrew from the Capitol Hill neighborhood last summer.

What about all the residents that live there, that are basically held hostage? Holy said of the area, which protesters declared an autonomous zone. Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan eventually ordered protesters to leave the zone after a 16- and 19-year-old were shot there and died.

Holys bill has six Republican co-sponsors and one Democratic co-sponsor, but he doubts itll get a hearing. Washingtons Democratic-controlled legislature is more focused on passingpolice accountability legislation, such as a bill requiring officers to intervene to stop peers from using excessive force.

Sakara Remmu, lead strategist and chair emeritus for Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County, sees Holys bill as retaliation for those police accountability bills. Bills like [Holys] are an absolute distraction from the core issues, and theyre a retaliation point for all the Black and brown voices that are now weighing in in Olympia, she said.

Holys bill also would prevent protesters who block a highway from suing for damages if they were hit by passersby or a police officer trying to flee by car, a provision Remmu called reprehensible.

A protester on a Seattle highway was killed by a driver last year, and Black Lives Matter protests nationwidehave faced vehicular attacks. In 2017, a man attending a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, drove into a crowd of counter-protesters and killed one; he was later sentenced to life in prison for federal hate crimes.

This bill makes it easier for somebody to harm, basically anybody, Remmu said of Holys bill. Its clearly targeted at Black lives, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Holys bill doesnt change the criminal penalties drivers could face. Holy said his bill would only protect people trying to escape a dangerous situation. If in fact theyre fearful for their own safety, then they can attempt to drive away, he said. This is not free license to run over people.

In Florida, Democratic lawmakers argue that the bill isnt necessary and are vowing to fight it, though their chances of stopping its movement through the Republican-controlled legislature are slim.

Not to be glib, but this is yet another example of a solution in search of a problem, said Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer Jr. But here, the purported solution has a potentially devastating, chilling effect on the right of free speech and the constitutionally protected right of peaceable assembly.

Farmer pointed to the proposed mob intimidation misdemeanor, which he said could make it a crime for people to have a passionate argument in the street. He also said he worried the bill would encourage hardline police tactics against peaceful protesters, such as firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

The bills proponents disagree. The bill does not discourage peaceful assembly or freedom of speech, wrote DeSantis spokesperson Meredith Beatrice in an email toStateline. Governor DeSantis looks forward to working with House Speaker Sprowls and Senate President Simpson to swiftly pass House Bill 1 during the upcoming legislative session to protect the rule of law in our state.

Rep. Fernandez-Barquin said during the subcommittee hearing last week that his only goal was to prevent violence. Do I think that this will be used disproportionately on communities of color? Its not my intention, and I certainly hope not, he said.

Once committee members had finished questioning Fernandez-Barquin, almost 70 Floridiansmostly young, many of them people of colorcame forward to voice their opposition. Some struggled to catch their breath as they raced to speak within the one-minute time limit. Others spoke angrily and loudly through their face masks until their microphones were cut off.

The bill passed out of committee along party lines, with 11 Republicans voting in favor and six Democrats voting against.

Black Lives Matter activists in Florida and nationwide say new legislation wont stop them from organizing.

The new laws prove that racial justice protests are having an impact, said Jones, the student activist in Tennessee. The protests are shifting the conversation. Theyre shifting priorities. Theyre shifting consciousness, he said. When you have this type of repression, it shows that youre being effective.

Tinsley of Palm Beach County said she refuses to be silenced. If the Florida law passes, protest organizers will just have to be more strategic and more alert to counter-protesters looking to stir up trouble, she said.

The people are tired, we want change, she said. And its up to politicians and lawmakers to listen to us.

Sophie Quinton, Stateline

d

View original post here:
Republicans in Florida and Elsewhere Respond to Black Lives Matter with Anti-Protest Bills - FlaglerLive.com