please only make your voices 'heard' in the designated free speech zones.
It's wild that these actually exist in some public places.
There's one in the Mojave desert, one in northern Alaska, and one in Antartica, so that everyone is covered.
Key take away
To Kavanagh, the crime wasn’t just about blocking traffic. It was “steal[ing] hours of [people’s] lives away.”
Hot Take: If Kavanagh feels so strongly about this. Then make wage theft a felony because it is literally stealing people's time and it's a far larger problem than a few blocking a road.
Pretty good idea. Especially for larger companies where they have less of an argument that it was a mistake.
This would include 'Freedom Convoy' style trucker blockades too, right?
No, only peasants on foot trying to annoy our wheeled overlords and their owners.
Of course not. Freedom for me and not for thee.
I hope so
Hell hath no fury like white people mildly inconvenienced
"Lawmakers" don't want this, "corporate interests funding lawmakers" want this
Nevermind the hundreds of thousands of people socially murdered by US/EPA negligence. Those people were interrupted from going to their jobs and making money for rich twats. Don't people know that's so much more important than *checks notes... you getting cancer in your thirties?
No one stands in the way of the almighty car
Good. Block ambulances -> go to jail. Plenty of legal ways to make your voice heard.
There's I believe one example of that in the us and they were charged under the relevant currently existing law that makes willfully blocking emergency vehicles a crime.
So anyone in standstill traffic when an ambulance comes will go to jail? Or does this not apply if you're in a car?
In my opinion, if you knowingly block or don't have good faith in attempting to move away, it should be illegal.
To everyone saying that this shouldn't be a protected form of protest, explain why blocking traffic is bad, but this wasn't: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sit-in_movement
Probably something about either how it affects them directly so that protest is bad. Also possibly about shipping
'Bout time. This isn't free speech. If everyone with a grievance brought a city to a standstill, we'd have anarchy.
I fully support peaceful protesters with signs on the sidewalk even if I don't with their cause. But their rights end when they infringe on others.
If people protest and it inconveniences or offends nobody, is it a protest?
While I think this style of protest is completely counterproductive and just pisses everyone off rather than bring them to your side, a felony for doing it is fucking insane. You can't lump murder and standing in the road into the same category of offense.
If you think people's rights are secondary to your commute, fuck your commute in particular.
You don't have a right to commit crime. If they think their opinion is more important because they're being the bigger asshole, fuck them in particular.
I think that guy, recently in the news, pleading with protesters so he wasn't late to court would take issue if someone summed up the critically his life at the moment so dismissively as "a commute".
People don't stop their lives because someone throws a tantrum. You made it others problems; now the courts whom represent those affected will have a legal option.
Oh yes a tantrum. Let's see what people have been blocking streets for lately.
Yup, just tantrums here. Nothing of substance at alllll.
If you want protests to stop, address the issues being protested.
You cheer for dogs and firehoses and rubber bullets and tear gas instead.
I don't want all protests to stop. It's a way to express your view publicly.
What does need to stop is the childish selfishness of this civel disobedience to forcibly impose your will over others. The cause doesn't matter; civilized society can't exist if every activist for every cause uses this to make a point.
I don’t want all protests to stop. It’s a way to express your view publicly.
You just don't want them to be inconvenient. So you can ignore them. So nothing will change. Like you want.
What does need to stop is the childish selfishness of this civel disobedience to forcibly impose your will over others.
Yeah, who do people who want cops to stop shooting them think they are?
The cause doesn’t matter;
Certainly never to you. You love the status quo and never want it to change.
You just don't want them to be inconvenient. So you can ignore them. So nothing will change. Like you want.
In my city, there is a guy with a megaphone shouting into traffic nearly every day. Annoying, but I support his right to be there. In another nearby, there is a section known for protests and signs every weekend with dozens of participants. I support their right to assemble. There is a diehard Trumper who absolutely plastered their front yard with signs. I recognize their right as an American. And I have written 3 letters to my local government this year. I have signed ballot initiatives brought forth by organizations I support. This is how you change a democracy.
Yeah, who do people who want cops to stop shooting them think they are?
That's a great argument until you substitute in a cause you don't support. Hmm, what would people be saying if some pro-January 6th-ers took over the bridge?
Certainly never to you. You love the status quo and never want it to change.
We're always changing. It is natural. However, I refrain from emotional decisions and tend to break problems down to their cores. The "cause", whatever it may be, is an emotional trigger employed to justify a course of illegal action. I am entirely unaffected. I have, instead, viewed this event from the perspective of rational logic. This is unacceptable behavior. Period.
Also, side note, thanks for the debate. I really enjoyed it, but I got to sleep. :)
That’s a great argument until you substitute in a cause you don’t support. Hmm, what would people be saying if some pro-January 6th-ers took over the bridge?
It happened in my town. Remember the Trump Trains? Blocked traffic for miles.
I get that you don't like people wanting to do something effective that might draw attention to their cause and are trying to use trumpists as an excuse, but here's the thing: Cops won't enforce this consistently. Trumpists will still be allowed to march, but people cops disagree with won't. I have no doubt that this is the only reason you support making protesters felons, nor do I think that this will stop with protests in the street.
We’re always changing.
And you're fine with that as long as it keeps being for the worse and no one adds any minutes to your precious commute. You want to make people felons on the off chance that you might have to choose an alternate route one day. Your commute is not that important.
I am entirely unaffected.
Then act like it and stop supporting making protesting in a way that hurts your feelings a felony.
So when forced-birth activists block the road to an abortion clinic, then the best way to stop that is to address their issues?
There are already laws against harassment. We don't need to make anyone who marches in the streets a felon.
I'm not talking about harassment. Simply protestors blocking all traffic on a street that has an abortion clinic.
Is it good for democracy when pregnant women can't drive to their appointment?
While we're at it, what about climate deniers blocking access to public chargers, thus stranding anyone using an EV?
Or right-wingers who block off access to bike lanes just to "pwn the libs."
All of these have already happened, by the way. Were they good for democracy?
If you can bring the city to a standstill with your grievance then someone should probably do something about the grievance before that mob removes the mayor by force.
Closing one road is not bringing a city to a standstill. We haven't had true mass protests in the US in a long time.
You don't have a right to drive so....
If everyone with a grievance brought a city to a standstill, we’d have anarchy.
If everyone made visible in the streets, the injustice that exists in our governance, we'd have democracy.
Fuck cars in general.
Trains, subways & trams please.
Also, I would not be surprised if the auto industry is who's lobbying for this, people won't buy cars if they have no where to drive.
That’s not really the point.
Imagine a world where we didn’t fuck up public transit and protesters stood in subway doors to block them, preventing the trains from running.
Still just free speech and should be allowed to continue?
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