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State Representative Leon Lillie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-1188
For more information contact: Christina Gosack 651-296-5524
NEWS COLUMN
Grieving Families Deserve Respect at Funerals
Most Minnesotans were dismayed by recent news reports of the group of protestors from Kansas who drove to Minnesota to hold an anti-gay demonstration at the funeral of a fallen soldier from Anoka. That this group would go to such lengths to disrupt the mourning of the family and friends of the deceased is upsetting.
The Minnesota Legislature has acted quickly in response to this issue, inspired by laws under consideration in 14 other states. Last week, I voted in committee to outlaw funeral protests within 300 feet of the site of a service, survivors' homes, or along the route of a funeral cortege. A companion version of this bill also passed a Senate committee. Another bill that I am co-authoring restricts protests within 1000 feet of a funeral and would keep protestors from demonstrating an hour before and after a funeral.
These bills are being written to protect families from disruptive protests without infringing on anyone's constitutional rights. I believe strongly in the right to freedom of speech. At the same time, losing a loved one is the most difficult experience any of us go through. Families and friends need space to grieve peacefully without being accosted by hate-filled slogans and chants.
I wish this law was not even necessary. With strong legislative support, these restrictions should pass easily, protecting the rights of grieving families to hold funerals in peace.
If you have comments or questions on this or any other legislative issues, please contact me at (651) 296-1188, by e-mail at rep.leon.lillie@house.mn, or at 353 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55155.
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