As more and more videos emerge of motorists being blocked by protesters standing in the middle of the road and refusing to let cars pass, two GOP senators are working to promote a bill that would make it a crime punishable by five years imprisonment or fines to block public roads. Those two politicians are Sens. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, and Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee.
The legislation that the duo proposed is the Safe and Open Streets Act. If passed, the proposed legislation would make it a federal crime for anyone, including protesters, to purposely obstruct, delay, or affect commerce by blocking a public road or highway.
Describing the impetus for and purpose of the legislation in a press release, Sen. Tillis’s office said, “The Safe and Open Streets Act is in direct response to radical tactics of pro-Palestine protestors who have intentionally blocked roads and highways across the country. In November, protestors completely blocked the Durham Freeway in Durham, North Carolina during rush hour, stranding drivers and compromising the free flow of commerce. No arrests were made. Late last month, during one of the busiest travel days of the year, protestors blocked airport access roads in New York City and Los Angeles.”
Sen. Tillis, in a statement released by his office, called out the protesters for the significant, deleterious effect their highway blocking is having on the country. Speaking on that and why it must be punished, he said, “The emerging tactic of radical protestors blocking roads and stopping commerce is not only obnoxious to innocent commuters, but it’s also dangerous and will eventually get people killed. It needs to be a crime throughout the country.”
Continuing, he explained that the act is meant to stop exactly that behavior and give law enforcement a tool with which to punish those protesters blocking roads. He said, “I’m proud to introduce the Safe and Open Streets Act so radical activists who resort to these reckless and dangerous tactics are held accountable under the full weight of the law for endangering public safety.”
Similarly, Sen. Blackburn argued that there should be a zero-tolerance approach to activity that blocks the flow of traffic, particularly on the major American roads that are vital to the flow of commerce and frequented by American commuters. She said, “Blocking major roads to stop traffic flows is nothing short of lawlessness that should not be tolerated.”
Continuing, Sen. Blackburn argued that the activity of the protesters is dangerous not only because it could lead to auto-fatalities on the highways if cars strike the protesters, but also because it could impede emergency vehicles. She said, “These activists are not only intentionally creating a dangerous situation for themselves, but perhaps for a citizen who is awaiting an ambulance or a hard worker who will lose their job for being late.”
She then argued, like Sen. Tillis, that the proposed legislation would stop the dangerous and problematic protester behavior. Concluding, she said, “The Safe and Open Streets Act is critical to stopping this reckless behavior, particularly by Hamas sympathizers, in our U.S. cities.”
For an example of the sort of behavior that Sen. Blackburn and Tillis want stopped, here is a video of the road to the Chicago Airport being blocked by radical protesters:
And here is a similar video of protesters blocking the road to New York City’s JFK airport:
The legislation states, “Any person who violates paragraph (1) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both,” establishing a severe penalty for those protesters that violate it. While the legislation is unlikely to pass at the federal level, it could be used by states to reign in the dangerous behavior of protesters.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
"*" indicates required fields