Anti-protest Bills Are Meant to Silence the Opposition

Have you forgotten what the First Amendment says? Let me remind you: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Do you see that--the part about the right of the people to assemble? That is a right that you do not get to take away from us. Having sworn to uphold the Constitution, surely you must recognize that the rights enumerated in it are not up for debate. Nor are they reliant on whether or not I agree with your politics. I understand differences of opinion, differing ideologies, and that we are not always going to agree. But, your legislative power is not meant to be used to silence the me which is what this new bill aims to do. And, this is evident by the fact that when Republicans protested—some violently—following President Obama’s election, the GOP did not speak out against that violence. Where was your outcry then? Where has your outcry been as law enforcement officers have mown down people of color in the streets? You did not care about protesting until people took to the streets in response to the death of George Floyd—a black man who fell prey to white america’s incessant and misguided belief in the inherent criminality of people of color. You did not care about protesting until you saw an opportunity to pander to the right. Perhaps you should think more about dismantling the oppressive policies that run rampant in our institutions. The money that you will spend defending this legislation is better spent addressing oppression instead of glorifying white supremacy and its racist offspring.