Unlawful assembly bill faces pushback--and likely death in committee

INDIANAPOLIS—The Black Lives Matter movement took off over the summer after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis who died in police custody. Many Hoosiers assembled in Indianapolis and other cities across the state during the summer to push for political change.

According to Time magazine 93% of the protests across the world were peaceful. 7% of those protests a few displayed their anger by shattering windows and vandalizing buildings. The protests in Indianapolis lasted for 14 continuous days during the summer.

Now, Sen. James Tomes, R-Wadesville, and Sen. Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, are promoting an 18-page bill that could impose steep punishments on protestors charged with rioting and police officers for negligence, including barring them from government jobs and some public assistance.

“For generations in America, we’ve seen protests and demonstrations that have sparked change, but the message can be lost as soon as violence begins to occur and citizens’ property is destroyed,” Tomes said in a statement.

Read more: http://thestatehousefile.com/44026/unlawful-assembly-bill-faces-pushback/