by Kimberlee Kruesi and Jonathan Mattise
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Tennessee protesters will face harsher penalties, including losing the right to vote, for breaking certain laws during demonstrations under a law enacted by Gov. Bill Lee.
The Republican governor quietly signed off on the bill Thursday. Lee has previously conceded there were portions of the bill he “would have done differently” but ultimately agreed to make the proposal law effective immediately with his signature.
Tennessee’s GOP-dominant General Assembly advanced the measure last week during a brief three-day special legislative session while also passing bills on COVID-19 liability immunity and telemedicine.
Most notably, the new law now states that those who illegally camp on state property would now face a Class E felony, punishable by up to six years in prison, rather than a misdemeanor. Felony convictions in Tennessee result in the revocation of an individual’s right to vote.
The bill also imposes a mandatory minimum 45-day hold if convicted of aggravated rioting; enhances the fine for obstructing emergency vehicles from accessing highways; requires a court to order restitution for damaging state property; and creates a Class C felony offense for aggravated assault against a first responder — which carries a $15,000 fine and mandatory minimum 90-day prison sentence.
The governor said a provision requiring a warning to those camping illegally strengthened the bill, and cited the discretion of prosecutors and judges.
The leader of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, who had asked Lee to veto the legislation, said Thursday the group will be closely monitoring enforcement of the law and urged Tennesseans “to get out and vote like their rights depend on it.”
“We are very disappointed in Governor Lee’s decision to sign this bill, which chills free speech, undermines criminal justice reform and fails to address the very issues of racial justice and police violence raised by the protesters who are being targeted,” ACLU of Tennessee Executive Director Hedy Weinberg said in a statement. “While the governor often speaks about sentencing reform, this bill contradicts those words and wastes valuable taxpayer funds to severely criminalize dissent.”
Lawmakers advanced the bill amid nearly two months of frequent protests outside the Capitol. The mostly young Black activists who spearheaded the demonstration had been calling for racial justice reforms and for a meeting with Lee.
The governor has declined to meet with them, but has met with a handful of Black leaders as part of a previous promise to address “racial reconciliation” and other racial justice issues.
However, Lee and other lawmakers have defended the protest bill by pointing to a late May demonstration that resulted with some participants setting fires inside and outside a courthouse.
“I think what we saw was a courthouse on fire and businesses being broken into and vehicles being damaged. We saw lawlessness that needed to be addressed immediately. And that was done so,” Lee told reporters Thursday when asked about the bill.
The protest occurred as demonstrators across the country expressed outrage – sometimes violently – over the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.
Multiple demonstrations throughout Tennessee since then have remained overwhelmingly peaceful.
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Kimberlee Kruesi and Jonathan Mattise are reporters with The Associated Press.
A Class E felony for illegal camping on state land, punishable by up to 6 years imprisonment. So were someone to inadvertently set up a tent on a piece of land in a state park, public land mind you, in anything other than a legally ordained camping site, or simply neglect to pay a fee, they could spend up to 6 years in prison.
Or do they even need to set up a tent? Were they to sit down on a rock, take off their pack, and take out a bottle of water out along with a snack – is that “camping?”
Ridiculous.
What does the U.S. Constitution, Amendment VIII have to say on this matter, or the TN State Constitution, Article 1, Sections 2, 15, 16, and 23?
Facts don’t matter in clownworld. Apparently constitutional protections are right out the window too. Irrational fears beget irrational acts.
One high point though: the clowns inevitably declare themselves as such in the process. The Governor wanted Tennessee to “lead the way”; sounds good, but not on an inexorable march towards a full blown police state – we’re already dangerously far down that path.
Good move. I’m sick of bums abusing state property.
This will would not deter those protesters who have already lost their right to vote due to a prior record or other criteria. If anything, the already disenfranchised will now feel they have nothing to lose under this new bill that Governor Lee signed.
Here in the USA, we have the right to say anything we want, PROVIDED what we say is neither seditious, treasonous, slanderous, or libelous.
We have the right to assemble PEACEFULLY. That means the group doesn’t disturb the peace or threaten the lives or property of others.
We have the right to petition our government for redress of grievances. That is performed through the courts or contacting our elected representatives. It also requires we have a proper case of injustice of our own to petition for.
There is no “right” to protest. It is a privilege bundled with the responsibility to follow the laws. If, while you are “protesting”, you commit a Class E felony, you deserve to have the PRIVILEDGE of voting taken away.
The law passed by our elected state assembly to make it a felony to camp on State lands not designated as campsites is a fair one, allowing for safety and sanitation of the areas around our capitol. Since the law has been announced (and denounced) publicly, there’s no excuse of ignorance. Break the law at your own peril.
Flatt, you should probably educate yourself by reading The Constitution before making such ignorant posts.