New Oklahoma law protects drivers 'fleeing from a riot' who hit protesters
OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed a controversial bill that would grant civil and criminal immunity to drivers who unintentionally injure or kill protesters while driving away from a riot.
The bill is just one of a handful of Republican-backed proposals introduced in the Oklahoma Legislature this year aimed at cracking down on protests.
HB 1674 protects drivers who fear for their safety while "fleeing from a riot" and also updates state law to classify as a misdemeanor the unlawful obstruction of a road or highway.
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"I certainly support the right to peacefully protest and assemble," West said. "I will not, however, endorse rioters that spill onto city or state streets, blocking traffic and even harming property of vehicle operators who are simply trying to move freely. This law gives clarity to those motorists that they are in fact within their rights to seek safety.”
The ACLU of Oklahoma says it is in "serious conversations" with its partners on efforts to protect Oklahomans' right to free speech.
"The power of protest belongs with the people, and we will not tolerate these attempts to silence Oklahomans," said Nicole McAfee, the group's director of policy and advocacy.
Adriana Laws, founder of the Collegiate Freedom and Justice Coalition, said the Oklahoma Legislature has launched an assault on taxpaying Oklahomans.
Laws was one of about 35 demonstrators who marched through the Oklahoma state Capitol Wednesday afternoon to protest what they described as anti-protest bills advancing through the GOP-controlled legislature.
"They are targeting groups of protesters who are just wanting to use their freedom of speech, passing bills that will intimidate them in the hopes of keeping people from using their First Amendment rights, passing bills that decriminalize the murder of protesters, which is absolutely insane," she said.
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The protesters were forced out of the House gallery Wednesday afternoon after they started yelling at lawmakers. At least two protesters were escorted out of the building by members of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, who guard the Capitol.
Critics of HB 1674 say the legislature is cracking down on protests following widespread Black Lives Matter and racial justice protests over the summer.
They have also expressed concerns that the legislation would disproportionately harm people of color, who sometimes feel as though protesting is the only way they can advocate for justice in response to police misconduct.
Shelley Free, a Tulsa resident who protested at the Capitol, said although people may be inconvenienced by protesters blocking a roadway, that doesn't give them the right to harm protesters.
"I find that to be inhumane and a direct attack on our freedoms to assemble and to speak truth to the powers of governance here," she said.
HB 1674 takes effect Nov. 1.
Contributing: JaNae Williams
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Stitt signs bill to protect drivers who hit protesters
