Bill Lee to sign Protest Criminalization Bill

Governor Bill Lee announced that he will be signing a draconian anti-protest bill which includes making it a felony punishable by up to six years in prison to pitch a tent outside the Capitol overnight. This flies in the face of his claims of wanting to pass meaningful criminal justice reform, a term that House Majority Leader William Lamberth had the gall to use when referring to this bill.

Not only will this legislation have severe implications for protesters, but it will have far-reaching ramifications on the people in Tennessee who are experiencing homelessness.

Republican Legislators drafted this bill with the protesters who have been occupying the plaza outside the State Capitol in mind in an effort to silence them and their demands. We are left wondering if any members of the Tennessee Republican Party have learned from the late great John Lewis, or if they have considered that perhaps they are participating in government overreach, which they are so quick to decry when Democrats propose regulations.

.@GovBillLee will sign a bill that makes it a felony to put up a tent at night but doesn't care to enforce the law when his own legislators:

– take bribes in office
– sexually abuse children
– perjure themselves

He doesn't care about lawlessness, he cares about the status quo. pic.twitter.com/N2O0UgRBbV

— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) August 14, 2020