Find out if your state is trying to pass laws that punish protesters, and fight back.
The First Amendment to the Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law abridging… the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
That’s not stopping state legislatures from trying to pass laws that would punish protestors.
The laws take many forms. Some impose new penalties for protestors who block traffic. Others make “disruptive” protests a felony, which has implications for voting rights. Still others impose lighter penalties on drivers who hit protestors, a phenomenon we at OTYCD have written about before.
More than half of the states have considered or are considering laws that would crimp the rights of protestors.
Is your state one of them?
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) has built a U.S. Protest Law Tracker that will let you search for your state and see what it’s up to.
See the U.S. Protest Law Tracker:
http://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/
If your state is pursuing laws that would make it harder to stage protests, call or email your state legislators and urge them to vote no.
Find your state legislators, along with their contact information:
https://www.whoaremyrepresentatives.org
See the homepage for the ICNL:
Like it on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ICNLDC/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Follow it on Twitter:
@ICNLAlliance
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