House Bill 445 is a threat to free speech and local government control

Montgomery, Ala.-- Earlier today the Alabama State House of Representatives passed House Bill 445, amid a calendar filled with other harmful bills. If passed, HB445 would criminalize First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly while preempting the authority of local governments. Under this bill, criminal penalties would be enhanced for people accused of committing a crime at a protest rally, but substantial discretion will be left to charging officers, leaving the door open to abuse. 
 
The SPLC Action Fund opposes this legislation. HB 445 also makes local governments ineligible for state grants –such as funds from the Rebuild Alabama Act–if a local government defunds or abolishes its law enforcement agency. This would take control away from the people who know their communities best and force local governments to make cuts to schools, roads and other needed projects when that is not the will of the voters or local elected officials. 
 
The following is a statement from Shay Farley, interim deputy policy officer for the southeast with SPLC Action Fund.
 
“This will have a chilling effect on protest everywhere, regardless of the content of those righteous calls. Alabamians come from a storied history of courageous protest, and HB445 is a step back towards a past where people standing up for what is right had to do so under the threat of constant arrest. Governmental trampling of Free Speech rights wasn’t okay on Bloody Sunday and it’s not okay today. Protesters ought to be protected, not arrested, and local governments should be trusted to make decisions that are best for their constituents."