Flanagan, POCI Caucus Denounce Protest Penalty Bill

Following a contentious Minnesota House of Representatives debate on the Omnibus Public Safety Bill (SF 803/HF 896), which includes language that would increase penalties for obstructing a highway or an airport, the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus released the following joint statement:

"Instead of taking time to listen to the legitimate racial justice concerns of Minnesotans, Republicans instead chose to silence our voices."

"Criminalizing free speech is fundamentally un-American, and this anti-protest bill shamefully punishes any Minnesotan who dares to speak truth to power about the reality of racial inequality in our state."

"Peaceful protest and the freedom of speech serve as the foundation of American democracy. Today the POCI Caucus stood up for the First Amendment by voting as a bloc against this spiteful and discriminatory legislation. We call upon the conference committee to strip this language from the public safety bill."

The penalties in the bill are a response recent protests that led to the shutdown of Interstate 35W and Interstate 94 in the Twin Cities.

The People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus is a new caucus first formed in 2017 and includes Reps. Mary Kunesh-Podein (41B), Jamie Becker-Finn (42B), Peggy Flanagan (46A), Erin Maye Quade (57A), Fue Lee (59A), Ilhan Omar (60B), Susan Allen (62B), Rena Moran (65A), and Carlos Mariani (65B).

Related

• Stillwater Rep's Personal Reason For Wanting Tougher Penalties On Highway Obstruction
• Omar: Highway Obstruction Bills Are Unconstitutional

Image via Minnesota House of Representatives