Protesters chanting “black lives matter” stormed the oklahoma capitol on Wednesday and forced the closure of the state House of Representatives to protest several Republican-backed bills, including one providing legal protection to motorists fleeing the riots.
More than two dozen protesters packed the gallery on the fifth floor while the oklahoma house in the chamber below was in session. the video featured protesters chanting “stand united against all hate” and “we will use our voices to stand against corruption, fight hate, defend Black and Latino lives.” the disturbance interrupted the session for several minutes.
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The rally was staged against what activists describe as anti-transgender and anti-protest bills advancing in the Republican-controlled state Senate and House. A bill increases penalties for protesters who block traffic and protects drivers who unintentionally hit drivers with their cars. another is aimed at protecting law enforcement and their families from “doxing.”
A man stood face-to-face with a lawmaker who greeted him in the gallery in what appeared to be a heated verbal confrontation until another protester pushed him away. “You’re an embarrassment, you’re an embarrassment to the whole damn nation,” male protesters yelled as he left.
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“You are traitors, insurrectionists, seditious,” shouted another woman as protesters filed out of the gallery.
the oklahoma highway patrol escorted protesters out of the building, and a drug dog entered the vault to make sure “nothing was left,” koco reporter dillon richards tweeted.
house bill 1674, co-authored by the Republican state representative. kevin west and his republican colleague the state senator. rob standridge, create a misdemeanor for unlawfully obstructing traffic while participating in a riot. It also adds criminal and civil liability protections “for motor vehicle operators who inadvertently cause injury or death to an individual participating in a riot under certain circumstances,” the oklahoma legislature said.
The bill also “establishes that organizations found to be involved with persons who participate in unlawful riots or gatherings will be sanctioned with a fine that is ten times the amount of the fine authorized by the corresponding provision of the bill law,” according to the fiscal analysis of the proposed legislation.
“This is an important protection for citizens who are just trying to get out of a bad situation,” West said, according to the Oklahoman. “When fleeing an unlawful riot, they should not face threats of prosecution for trying to protect themselves, their families, or their property.”
government. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, approved the bill Wednesday, the Oklahoma Legislature said.
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A second bill the governor signed into law Wednesday makes it a crime to mislead law enforcement or other public officials by posting your personal information online.
Bill 1643, co-sponsored by the Republican state senator. david bullard and republican state representative. justin humphrey, makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine for a person with the “intent to threaten, intimidate, or harass,” use an “electronic communication device to publish, post, or make otherwise knowingly publicly available personally identifiable information of a law enforcement officer or public official” and result in “a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury.”
The punishment would be doubled on the second conviction for the same crime, the bill says.
aclu oklahoma has argued that the bill is too broad and anyone posting videos or photos of law enforcement officers would be expected to erase the names on the badges, kfor reported.
Protesters also opposed a third Republican-backed law that would bar anyone of the “male sex” from playing on athletic teams designated for “women, women or girls.”
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the oklahoma house of representatives passed the so-called “save women’s sports bill” on Tuesday, co-authored by the state representative. toni hasenbeck and state senator. Michael Bergstrom, both Republicans, have argued that it will protect female athletes from lost opportunities to compete fairly for medals, athletic podium finishes, athletic scholarships and other public recognition.
The two lawmakers who wrote Senate Bill 2 have emphasized the competitive advantage biological men have over biological women, and Bergstrom said he was open to having a conversation about allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports. in other ways, the stigler news- reported the sentinel.