Monday, February 6, 2017

Jordyn Chapman- 'Unintentionally' Running Over Protesters May Soon Be Legal

Summary: This article talks about the recent bill proposed in response to previous protests that have been going on- most importantly, the standing protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota beginning last April. Rep Keith Kempenich introduced a bill, which states that any driver “who unintentionally causes injury or death to an individual obstructing vehicular traffic on a public road . . . is not guilty of an offense.” Kempenich said, “The First Amendment works both ways. You’ve got the right to assemble peacefully and legally. The other side of it is other people who don’t want to participate. . . . I just intended it to keep people that didn’t want to be involved in this from being drawn into it.” Cody Hall, a member of the Lakota tribe stated that we were moving back 60 years and this "bill" would set back civil rights.
Analysis: Tom Jackman, a writer for The Washington Post, uploaded this article on February 5, 2017, making the information very recent and relevant. Prior to this article, I knew about the rise in protests but never was aware of what was going on to deal with them. This article presents the idea that we're taking steps backwards as a country limiting people and it's making us aware of those dangers. I think it's important and trying to say that there has to be other ways that we react to the situation.
Synthesis- This article dates back and relates to the various ways that protesters were stopped in the past through both government and military intervention- most evident in problems revolving around social reform (women's rights, labor, civil rights, etc.)
Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/how-far-can-protesters-go-before-the-government-steps-in/2017/02/04/bd96357e-e8b8-11e6-bf6f-301b6b443624_story.html?utm_term=.08dc279b7b09

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