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Oklahoma governor signs bill to crack down on protesters who block roadways

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Oklahoma governor signs bill to crack down on protesters who block roadways
A truck with a horse trailer drives through a group of protesters Sunday, May 31, 2020, on Interstate 244 in Tulsa, Okla., during a rally over the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis May 31, 2020, after he was pinned at the neck by a police officer. Supporters of a bill signed this week by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt say the legislation was prompted by the May 31 incident. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP)

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill Wednesday, April 21, 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.

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The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. The Trucker Media Group is subscriber of The Associated Press has been granted the license to use this content on TheTrucker.com and The Trucker newspaper in accordance with its Content License Agreement with The Associated Press.
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4 Comments

The driver, should have immunity from the law. Of course depending on circumstances, although when a driver needs to protect and save life and equipment, payload, the human road blockers and their weapons need to be dealt with force. Immediately!

As harsh as this law may seem to some, I agree with it. I agree that black lives matter. I myself am a black man. I am also a truck driver. I have to deliver loads of goods in order to make a living for me and my family. It would cause me financial problems if I came across one of these protests blocking the road. There are better ways to protest than blocking roads and stealing loads off of the trucks. Protesting is one thing. It’s nothing wrong with protesting, but when they start rioting and looting it needs to stop. There is protesting, and then there’s breaking the law. Protesting can be done without breaking the law.

Jo Ma… since people become stupid enough to riot, burn and try to block a roadway. You must be a swamp Democrat

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