The governor of Florida Monday signed a bill into law that bans Floridians from protesting outside of private residences.
โSending unruly mobs to private residences, like we have seen with the angry crowds in front of the homes of Supreme Court justices, is inappropriate,โ Governor Ron DeSantis said just before signingย HB 1571ย into law. โThis bill will provide protection to those living in residential communities and I am glad to sign it into law.โ
The bill was written, passed and signed after swaths of angry activistsย showed up at the D.C.-area homes of Supreme Court justicesย in protest of the potential reversal of the landmark abortion caseย Roe v. Wade.
A recent draft opinion in the case ofย Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which could decide the fate ofย Roe,ย was leaked to the public, whipping the far-left into a frenzy.
Florida is proactively taking steps to make sure that such displays do not occur there.
โSpecifically, the bill makes it a criminal offense to picket or protest before or about another person's home in order to harass or disturb the person in his or her home,โ according to the bill. โA person who engages in the prohibited conduct commits a second-degree misdemeanor.โ
Before a person is arrested for the crime, he or she must be commanded by a law enforcement officer to disperse. If the person does not, then he or she may be arrested.
โIn Florida, citizens are free to exercise their First Amendment rights to protest and to make their voices heard. Intimidating officials and their families at home is not constitutionally protected speech,โ DeSantis' Press Secretary Christina Pushaw toldย The Florida Capital Star. โThis was determined by the Supreme Court in 1988'sย Frisby v. Schultz,ย which is referenced in the text of the new Florida law.โ
The legislation follows DeSantis' 2021 โanti-riotโ crusade, which saw himย sign HB 1 into law.
That bill aims to stop peaceful protests from turning violent, and specifically targets those whoย block roads and highways, or engage in looting, both of which have been results of protests around the country.
โThis legislation strikes the appropriate balance of safeguarding every Floridian's constitutional right to peacefully assemble while ensuring that those who hide behind peaceful protest to cause violence in our communities will be punished,โ DeSantis said at the time. โFurther, this legislation ensures that no community in the state engages in defunding of their police.โ
This article originally appeared in The Florida Capital Star. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions ofย American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
1 Comment
There’s no telling why I happened to receive a newsletter from “american liberty”.
All people should be free; I get the impression that the organization “american liberty” advocates liberty for rich people. Rich people who are inclined to live affluent lives, and don’t care about have-nots. I am neither right-wing nor left-wing, but there are millions of poor who deserve more AND millions of rich who deserve less. I do not wish this “american-liberty” organization success.