State Senator John Kavanagh (R-Maricopa) is reportedly preparing to pitch legislation that will increase penalties for protesters who block Arizona’s highways and public thoroughfare, with the lawmaker highlighting a recent pro-Palestine protest in California that saw roads blocked for hours.
Kavanagh said he intends to file a bill that would raise criminal penalties for those who block Arizona’s highways, he told The Arizona Daily Star, explaining his legislation will make protesters who “block a highway, bridge, or tunnel for more than 15 minutes after they’ve been told to leave” guilty of a Class 6 felony. If found guilty, those convicted face a recommended sentence of one year in a state prison.
The lawmaker told Arizona Capitol Times he determined to craft the legislation after a November 16 protest blocked the Bay Bridge in San Francisco for hours. Demanding a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the protesters blocked the bridge for about four hours. About 80 have been charged related to the protest.
🚨The Pro-Palestine protest blocking all lanes westbound on the Bay Bridge shutting down traffic into San Francisco, While Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are here in SFO. pic.twitter.com/W6W2UCHPNM
— Sociat USA 🇺🇸 (@SociatUSA) November 16, 2023
Pro-Palestine demonstrators have also blocked public roads or highways in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New York, and Massachusetts, reported The Associated Press.
“No restrooms,” Kavanagh told the Arizona outlets of the San Francisco protest, noting that “a couple of vehicles had organs that were supposed to be going to a place for transplant” when they were stopped.
For protesters to be charged under the bill Kavanagh proposes, protesters would reportedly need to block more than 200 people for more than 15 minutes on a road or highway owned by Arizona.
Current Arizona statute dictating punishments for those who block highways range between a class 1 misdemeanor and a class 3 misdemeanor, meaning punishments would range between thirty days and six months in jail. The Daily Star noted that many cited under existing law are fined $750 for their activities.
Blocking public highways and thoroughfares became a frequent tactic used during racial protests and riots that swept the country in 2020, with police across the country shutting down traffic to accommodate protesters in large cities across the country.
The tactic was similarly employed by climate activists in Nevada earlier this year, when a blockade was created on a road leading to the Burning Man festival. Viral video posted to X, formerly Twitter, appeared to show the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police smashing through the blockade with police vehicles, and a local member of law enforcement drawing his gun to arrest protesters.
Climate protesters sought to force Burning Man organizers to ban private jets, single use plastics, and unnecessary propane burning for the event.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “San Francisco Bay Bridge Protest” by SociatUSA.
