SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA—Upon being featured in the State Innovation Exchange’s (SiX) 2017 End-of-Session Legislative Report—which highlighted the top legislative victories in states across the country this year—for her work to combat anti-protester legislation, Minnesota State Rep. Rena Moran (DFL – St. Paul) issued the following statement:
“Our nation was rocked by the violence in Charlottesville and the murder of Heather Heyer by a hateful extremist just weeks ago,” said Rep. Moran. “This violence didn’t happen in a vacuum. Actions speak louder than words and this session, certain action by conservative lawmakers across the nation was unacceptable—they tried to pass legislation to crack down on Americans’ right to protest. Some proposed policies even would have reduced penalties for motorists who struck protesters with their vehicles.”
“We defeated such legislation here in Minnesota thanks to the groundswell of activism against it, but some version of anti-protester legislation passed in five other states and we can expect similar legislation to pop up across the nation next session,” continued Rep. Moran. “Recent events have shocked us, but we must not weaken our resolve that the first amendment is foundational to our democracy.”
The report, which can be found here, included a section on this new and disturbing trend in state legislatures—nearly 20 state legislatures proposed some form of new restrictions on speech and peaceful assembly this year. This section discussed Minnesota’s HF 322, which would have allowed local police departments to charge protesters for the costs associated with demonstrations. SiX, the organization that released the report, is a national resource and strategy center that supports the efforts of state lawmakers to strengthen democracy, fight for working families, defend civil rights and liberties, and protect the environment.
“As the tragedy unfolded in Charlottesville, many of us called for unity and peace,” said SiX Executive Director Nick Rathod. “Many conservatives joined progressives in calling out our President for his unacceptable responses to the violence at the hands of white supremacists. But let’s also remember that many conservatives have been trying to limit the rights of protesters in recent months. I think we have to ask the conservative state lawmakers who sought to make it okay to hit protesters with a car—why? Why do you want to crack down on the right to free speech and who are you trying to silence?”
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