OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill Wednesday to crack down on protesters by increasing penalties for blocking roadways and granting immunity to motorists who kill or injure rioters.
The bill was one of 44 bills signed into law by the Republican governor and one of a series of GOP-backed proposals across the country aimed at cracking down on protesters.
The bill makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine to block a public street and grant criminal and civil immunity to motorists that kill or injure someone while fleeing a riot.
Supporters of the bill said it was prompted mostly by an incident in Tulsa last summer in which a pickup truck drove through a crowd gathered on a Tulsa interstate while protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Several people were injured, including one paralyzed from the waist down after falling from an overpass. The driver, whose family was in the car, was not charged.
In February, the Missouri Senate passed a similar bill. Under the bill, protesters who repeatedly block traffic without permission could face felony charges.
Senators voted 24-9 to send the measure to the Republican-led state House.
Republican critics have argued the protest method might block ambulances and puts demonstrators at risk of being hit. But Missouri Democrats said the measure could have a chilling effect on protests.
The legislation also targets calls to “defund the police” by racial justice advocates. Private citizens could sue Missouri cities and other municipalities that decrease funding for police agencies by more than 12% compared to other departments if the bill becomes law.
