Tennessee Governor Bill Lee subtly approved a bill that allows severe punishments for certain forms of protest.
Signing the bill last week without making an announcement, the Republican government made it possible for demonstrators who camp illegally on state property to get charged with a felony and face up to six years in prison, The Hill reported. In Tennessee, and several other states, a felony conviction results in the loss of voting rights. According to the new law, which becomes effective immediately.
In addition, protesters can face a 45-day sentence for aggravated rioting, pay a higher fine for blocking highway access to emergency vehicles and suffer a more severe punishment for aggravated assault against a first responder.
The Executive Director of the ACLU of Tennessee Hedy Weinberg said the law "undermines criminal justice reform and fails to address the very issues of racial justice and police violence raised by the protesters."
“We are very disappointed in Governor Lee’s decision to sign this bill," Weinberg said in a statement. "While the governor often speaks about sentencing reform, this bill contradicts those words and wastes valuable taxpayer funds to severely criminalize dissent.”
According to the Associated Press, the bill comes after two months of frequent protests outside of the city's Capitol, with demonstrators calling for racial justice reforms and a meeting with the governor. Lee didn't meet with the protesters, but he had a discussion with other Black leaders in the community, addressing his previous promise to focus on “racial reconciliation," the AP reported.
The governor defended the latest bill by singling out a demonstration in late May during which some participants set a courthouse on fire.
“I think what we saw was a courthouse on fire and businesses being broken into and vehicles being damaged. We saw lawlessness that needed to be addressed immediately. And that was done so,” Lee told reporters.
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said “the racial motivation underlying the law is undeniable.”
“It’s a clear backlash response to the Black Lives Matter movement and to people who are decisively protesting racial injustice and police violence,” Clarke told The Washington Post.
She added that her organization is considering a lawsuit against Tennessee Republicans for trying to intimidate voters.
“To criminalize protest activity and disenfranchise voters on top of it defies principles that lie at the heart of our Constitution,” she said. “It’s pouring fuel on the fire when communities are seeking justice, change and reform.”
In a letter sent to the governor on Aug. 14, The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee said the legislation "attacks our free speech rights, intentionally chilling the act of protesting by threatening those individuals with overly harsh criminal penalties.”
According to The Post, Tennessee is one of the states which is not allowing people to vote by mail despite the pandemic. Like many of the demonstrations around the country which have been going on since the killing of George Floyd, the protests in Tennessee have been mostly peaceful, the AP reported.
