Oklahoma bill would require protesters at the state capitol to post $50,000 bond
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https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/proposed-oklahoma-bill-will-fine-protesters-at-state-capitol-with-50-000
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A new bill in response to Oklahoma's teacher walkout in April would force protesters who gather at the Oklahoma Capitol to post a $50,000 bond.
Senate Bill 592, authored by Senator Mark Allen (Republican - District 4), would require "Any organization or group of one hundred or more persons that engages in an organized protest
at the State Capitol building shall be required to post a bond of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) with the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority in order to offset the cost of
additional security, clean up and repairs.”
The first reading of the bill will come after February 4 when the state legislature reconvenes for its first session this year. The bill is not sitting well with the "Tulsa Classroom Teachers
Association" (TCTA), a group that supported the walkout.
In response, Senator Allen said this is "not interrupting the first amendment right" for groups to protest, but rather make sure they leave capitol grounds the same way as they were
found. He added this is not a retaliation against teachers or any organization.
Does it get much more flagrantly unconstitutional than this?
No way this is constitutional.
Hopefully the bill smacked down as unconstitutional.
In response, Senator Allen said this is "not interrupting the first amendment right" for groups to protest
Motherfucker, cartoon villains are better at lying than you are.
Yep, there's definitely no issue with limiting a fundamental first-amendment right to just the people who can pay for it.
this is oklahoma the state where they fundamentally limited the legislature's ability to raise taxes unless a supermajority agree to it.
People need to protest this law.
I wonder how the new supreme court will fucking bend this one
SCOTUS protects free speech for corporations over all other entities, but they throw a bone to individuals occasionally.
There is absolutely no ambiguity to the fact that this violates the 8th amendment. None whatsoever. The senators who proposed this bill should be impeached.
They'd have the right to protest just like they have the right to healthcare
Better be able to afford it
Oh, why aren't you working hard enough? /s
https://definitions.uslegal.com/e/excessive-bail/
This is an open and shut case. This senator does not give a shit about the U. S. Constitution.
protest access is the term you're looking for. Just like Healthcare access, everyone has access to healthcare just not coverage of their healthcare costs. Everyone can get their lukemia cured they just have to have the means to afford treatment or health insurance that will cover their treatment.
same with this, everyone has access to protest in these spaces they just will need to afford to cover any damages and fees incurred because the public can't afford or expect to cover the costs incurred by the public using it.
I'm not sure that applies here because according to that source, the 8th only applies to criminals. That being said, I'd say this is a pretty clear violation of freedom of assembly from the 1st amendment.
The text of the 8th Amendment doesn't single out criminals however there's a catch: the Supreme Court has never ruled whether the excessive fines clause applies to state governments. They're deciding soon
with the case Timbs v Indiana and they will likely confirm it does.
Rights for those who can afford to pay for them, get fucked if you can't.
This feels like the kind of thing you'd see about five to fifteen years before a civilization collapsed. Like I bet dumb shit was happening in Rome right before the fall, when everyone had constant low-level lead poisoning from the unfortunate discovery of using lead as a wine container material.
"It's a right but only if you're willing to sink yourself into debt."
Oh look republicans are attacking freedom of speech with institutional power. How surprising that this seems to keep happening with them.
It's what they do. They're the fascist party.
""Any organization or group of one hundred or more persons that engages in an organized protest
at the State Capitol building shall be required to post a bond of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) with the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority in order to offset the cost of
additional security, clean up and repairs.”
That isn't how bail/bonds work.
You give them a sum of money, decided by the court to be appropriate for your personal means. They then release you.
If you fail to show up, the state can keep that money.
If you show up for your court date, then they RETURN THE MONEY. Failure to do so would mean that they are imposing a fine, a punishment, without actually engaging in court proceedings. This is not just illegal, it is blatantly illegal.
How else are we to interpret this? Limiting protests to the rich goes against everything America is supposed to stand for.
https://ffrf.org/news/news-releases/item/34026-newly-elected-okla-governor-disregards-constitution-with-religious-event?fbclid=IwAR0APLamaOTxPBVR_KYTvQ5H9JJTmyeniGCZjpTOydH26xtgxk94vNvRwUk
Multiple concerned Oklahomans alerted the Freedom From Religion Foundation that the day after his inauguration, Stitt and his wife attended an Inaugural prayer service at the First Baptist Church of Moore.
During the service, he reportedly declared his mission as a governor to be a religious mission, to “join in with what God is doing in Oklahoma.”
“He is about to unleash Oklahoma. … We’re going to engage the nonprofits and the churches to really heal and solve some of these social issues, county by county, that the government can’t do, no law can do, but
our Heavenly Father can do,” Stitt said at the event.
Then, Oklahoma First Lady Sarah Stitt followed with similarly troublesome statements, telling Christians to use their position in elected office to convert people to Christianity: “We are God’s kingdom
here on Earth. It is our call to go out into our state and save people and bring people to Him.”
More 1st amendment violations.
no law you'd write can do, but there's plenty the government could do to improve the social and economic standing of anyone under the 10%
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