Tell Governor Evers to protect our right to protest: Veto AB 279/ SB 296

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    Tell Governor Evers to protect our right to protest: Veto AB 279/ SB 296

    Republicans in Madison just passed a bill that would criminalize protest and penalize people for exercising their right to free speech. The bill is headed to Governor Evers where he will either sign the bill into law or block it with a veto.

    If Gov. Evers signs this bill into law it will:

    • Give law enforcement the discretionary power to determine the difference between a protest and a “riot”, even if no violence or property damage is committed!
    • Create a new Class A misdemeanor for any person who “incites or urges” three or more people to engage in a “riot,” and make it punishable by a mandatory 30 days, up to 9 months in jail and a $10,000 fine!
    • Punish anyone who attends the “riot” with a Class I Felony if “substantial” property damage or injury occurs, which is punishable by up to 3 and a half years in prison!

    Police will use this intentionally vague bill to arrest and charge anyone who protests for racial justice. It’s clearly retaliation for the historic protests against the murder of Jacob Blake in Kenosha and we cannot allow this bill to become law.

    We have the opportunity to stop this bill from becoming law in Wisconsin, but we need to act now. Send a clear message to Gov. Evers and demand that he veto this bill and protect, not attack, our right to protest against injustice!

    Here is the Petition:
    Dear Governor Evers,
    As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to veto SB 296/AB 279. If signed into law, it would gravely endanger the right to protest in our state of Wisconsin, by defining “riot” so broadly that anyone present at a protest where violence occurs, even if they did not participate in such acts, could face felony charges punishable by up to three-and-a-half years imprisonment. An overly broad definition of ‘riot’ would ensnare peaceful protest by imposing additional misdemeanor penalties for anyone who obstructs traffic during a riot or “incites or urges” groups of people to participate in a riot, with no definition for what constitutes incitement or urging.

    This legislation would directly threaten the rights of Wisconsin citizens to express dissent, which is protected under the First Amendment. Show your constituents that you respect their rights to protest and remain committed to defending their rights during and after demonstrations.

    Sincerely,
    (Your Name)