Purportedly created to stop so-called “riots,” the broad and ambiguous language used in this bill could have criminalized various aspects of lawful assembly and threaten punishment of innocent protesters who are not involved in and may not even be aware of any illegal activity during a demonstration.
This bill would have imposed guilt by association by punishing a person who merely “participates” in a protest at which another person engages in or threatens violence or property damage or “substantially obstructs” a governmental function. Any protester attending such a so-called “riot” could be jailed and fined for a Class A misdemeanor, even if they did not know that other protesters may have engaged in violent or obstructive behavior.
