Friend,

243 bills in 45 states. That’s how many punitive anti-protest bills have been introduced in the last 4 years.

It’s been nearly 2 years since millions of people around the world took to the streets in historic numbers for what became the largest and most sustained movement to stand up for Black lives. Following the George Floyd uprisings, we saw a massive uptick in the introduction of bills that would crack down on the power of the people — limiting our constitutional rights to free speech and the right to protest. Tell the Department of Justice to protect your right to protest.

For almost 20 years, Free Press Action has fought to stop the surveillance of people of color, activists, journalists, religious minorities and other impacted communities. We need to be able to protest to fight for the issues we care so deeply about. Proponents of these anti-protest bills are trying to change the rules of the game by giving more power to police and prosecutors while chilling our right to free speech and assembly.

Here’s just a sampling of what we’re up against:

• Several proposals include provisions that would strip people of public benefits — including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and unemployment benefits — if they’re convicted on a protest-related charge. This means people would have to weigh protesting against the risk of arrest and losing the ability to receive crucial benefits like health care, housing and more.
• A Tennessee law would make it a felony for demonstrators to camp at the state Capitol. This means that people convicted of protesting would lose their right to vote.
• In Florida, Oklahoma and Iowa, laws grant immunity to drivers who run into protesters with their cars. This is sickening.
• A proposal in Indiana would ban anyone convicted of protesting from getting a state job or running for elected office.
• And laws in states like Georgia include provisions that would create civil immunity for a “volunteer” who uses or threatens to use force against a protester.

Make no mistake: These anti-protest bills are racially motivated. We have seen leak after leak showing that the police disproportionately target racial-justice activists¹ with force and invasive surveillance technologies while downplaying the growing threat of violent white supremacists.² That bias was on clear display during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a crime that was organized in plain sight.

Dissent and protest are foundational to our democracy. When laws oppress the power of the people, we fail to live up to our democratic ideals. And that’s not a world we want to live in.

But here’s the hopeful news: The Department of Justice (DoJ) has the power to make a real impact by condemning these laws and supporting legal efforts to fight them. Join us in urging the DoJ to defend our constitutional right to protest.

We will not be stopped and we will not be silenced. From the March on Washington to the Black Lives Matter movement, civil unrest and protest are essential tools for our freedom — and we will fight to protect them.

It’s an honor to be in this fight alongside you—

Rose, Nora and the rest of the Free Press Action team
freepress.net

P.S. For nearly 20 years, Free Press Action has fought to stop the surveillance of people of color, activists, journalists and religious minorities. Civil unrest and protest are essential tools for our freedom and we will fight to protect them. Join our fight: tell the Department of Justice to defend our constitutional right to protest.

1. “The FBI’s New U.S. Terrorist Threat: ‘Black Identity Extremists,’” Foreign Policy, Oct. 6, 2017

2. “Leaked Documents Show Police Knew Far-Right Extremists Were the Real Threat at Protests, Not ‘Antifa,’” The Intercept, July 5, 2020