This bill was purportedly created to stop so-called “riots” by making it a Class I Felony to “incite” a riot. However, overbroad and ambiguous language used in the legislation could criminalize various aspects of lawful assembly and threaten punishment of innocent protesters who are not involved in and may not even be aware of any illegal activity during a demonstration.
This bill also limits local control by prohibits a government official from “limit[ing] or restrict[ing] the authority of law enforcement…to arrest or detain individuals involved in a riot or vandalism activity or take action to quell a riot or vandalism activity.”
