‘Blue Lives Matter’ laws criminalize dissent

New bills under consideration in Southern states would make it illegal to film or taunt police officers

Seattle police officers attempt to push protestors back with riot shields at Cal Anderson Park on July 2, 2020 (Justin Ward)

Last summer, at the height of the protests over the murder of George Floyd, a teenage protester in Everett, Washington was arrested on assault charges. His crime? Dangling a donut on a wooden stick in front of sheriff’s deputies from several feet away and yelling profanities. The charges were later dropped after a review of the video showed no contact with the officers or anyone else. However, if a new bill being mulled in Kentucky passes, actions like this will be enough to get you jailtime in the Bluegrass State.

Senate Bill 211 would impose a potential penalty of up to three months in jail on any person who “accosts, insults, taunts, or challenges a law enforcement officer with offensive or derisive words” or engages in “gestures or other physical contact that would have a direct tendency to provoke a violent response from the perspective of a reasonable and prudent person.” Criminal penalties could also include a fine and loss of government assistance.

Currently, police already have a range of options at their disposal to unlawfully arrest protesters engaged in constitutionally protected speech. Charges of obstructing police business, assault…