Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
Gov. Ron DeSantis – enemy of mandates and lockdowns – is fond of calling Florida the freest state in the union. Add to the list of freedoms every Floridian enjoys that of a home and yard free of protestors.
Monday, DeSantis signed into law HB 1571, which made illegal the act of “picketing or protesting before or about dwelling of person with specified intent.”
“Sending unruly mobs to private residences, like we have seen with the angry crowds in front of the homes of Supreme Court justices, is inappropriate,” DeSantis said in a statement. “This bill will provide protection to those living in residential communities and I am glad to sign it into law.”
While the law certainly dovetails with scenes of protestors outside the homes of Supreme Court justices, HB 1571 was first introduced in January, well before pro-abortion activists swarmed Conservative justices’ homes.
The new law was originally intended as a companion to a 2021 Florida law that stiffened penalties for protestors who engage in rioting or criminal behavior. The anti-riot law, which is currently the subject of a court battle, was created in the wake of the 2020 riots that swept the nation following the death of George Floyd.
HB 1571 was also DeSantis’ effort to prevent a repeat of 2018, when protestors in Washington, D.C., targeted Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s home.
At the time, as was reported by the Associated Press, people on both sides of the political spectrum decried the act as reprehensible.
No less that late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert, well entrenched on the left, tweeted, “Fighting Tucker Carlson’s ideas is an American right. Targeting his home and terrorizing his family is an act of monstrous cowardice. Obviously don’t do this, but also, take no pleasure in it happening. Feeding monsters just makes more monsters.”
Opponents have called both laws unconstitutional and prejudiced against black citizens.
“The right to peaceful protest is a bedrock American principle that should never be undermined,” Francesca Menes, leader of the activist group known as the Black Collective, told the publication Florida Politics. “That’s not the case here in Florida, where we have seen legislation the last two sessions undermining this vital right and attacking the Black communities that have relied on it to bring about meaningful change for generations. HB 1571 builds on the unconstitutional foundations of the anti-protest bill last year and only reaffirms our will to make sure our voices are heard in order to create a brighter future for the people of our state.”
HB 1571 has considerably less bite than its counterpart. Under the new law, law enforcement officers will be required to issue a warning to any person picketing or protesting outside of a home. An arrest would occur only after a person failed to leave after being warned. The crime of picketing or protesting at a residence will be treated as a second-degree misdemeanor.