The Michigan House approved bills Tuesday that would allow police to establish 25-foot buffer zones around law enforcement and emergency response activities and arrest demonstrators who threaten or harass public safety workers.
Some local law enforcement agencies in Michigan have drawn the attention of protesters because they have agreements to support federal immigration enforcement. Supporters of the legislation say those protests can endanger public safety and unfairly target officers who are doing their jobs.
It is already a crime in Michigan to obstruct emergency responders carrying out official responsibilities, but some lawmakers want to get tougher with protesters and show support for police.
Representative Mike Harris (R-Waterford Township), one of the bill sponsors, said protesters can create risks.
“Emergency scenes can involve traffic hazards, weapons, fire, hazardous materials or emotionally volatile individuals,” he said. People who insert themselves into these situations may not fully understand the dangers around them.”
The bills were passed with bipartisan support, but some Democrats, including Representative Kelly Breen (D-Novi), said they are vague and could violate the First Amendment. Breen said she could have supported the bills with some tighter language. But she said the versions approved by the House are too vague and have no provisions to educate the public and law enforcement about the parameters of the legislation.
“It is just a recipe for disaster,” she said. “People won’t know what their rights are.”
Kyle Zawacki with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said the bills appear designed to impede protests more than protect legal law enforcement activities.
“Obstruction is already against the law,” he said. “To obstruct an officer or first responder from doing their duty is already against the law, punishable by a felony and multiple years. We feel that this expands that further and in a way that is unnecessary.”
Zawacki said the bills would make it more difficult for bystanders to videotape police activities and hold law enforcement accountable to the public.
The bills now go the state Senate.
