Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Just Made Mobbing Motorists a Dangerous Affair

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
DeSantis AP featured image
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference during the new coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, May 14, 2020, in Doral, Fla. DeSantis has signed an executive order for the reopening of Miami-Dade and Broward counties on May 18. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just told rioters that his state isn’t going to be so friendly to the mayhem and destruction they cause. He especially made it dangerous for those deciding to block roads and intimidate motorists.

Rioters keep getting a fresh pass from Democrat leaders and no matter the depths these rioters sink to, be it burning down a store or killing people, Democrat leaders, and the press will still call it a peaceful protest.

DeSantis has passed a new law that makes a lot of the destruction and intimidation going on around the country a risky thing to do in the state of Florida. Unlike in blue states, rioters are no longer the sole danger wherever they go.

“Today I announced bold legislation that creates new criminal offenses and increases penalties for those who target law enforcement and participate in violent or disorderly assemblies,” tweeted DeSantis. “We will always stand with our men and women in uniform who keep our communities safe.”

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“We’re not going to go down the road that other places have gone,” DeSantis said. “If you do it, and you know that a ton of bricks will rain down on you, then I think people will think twice about engaging in this type of conduct.”

The law is pretty well laid out and a few things catch the eye. For one, defunding the police in your city will result in state grants and aid being pulled. This is good since a city that allows itself to be destroyed by its own incompetence should not have to be rebuilt with everyone else’s mandatory help.

Attacking law enforcement results in a minimum mandatory of six months and becoming violent during a riot will result in “enhanced sentencing.”

Harassing and intimidating diners is now a misdemeanor and toppling monuments is now a felony, but one thing that I think really grabs the attention of both sides is the actions now taken against those who decide to block roads and intimidate motorists.

“3rd-degree felony to obstruct traffic during an unpermitted protest, demonstration or violent or disorderly assembly; driver is NOT liable for injury or death caused if fleeing for safety from a mob,” reads the law.

In other words, if you surround a car and begin intimidating the driver or passengers, attempt to gain access to the vehicle, or begin damaging the vehicle, if you do happen to be in front of the car when it speeds off and you get hurt or die, then the driver is not in the least bit of trouble. You go under the wheel while the driver is trying to escape the mob, that’s on you, not the driver.

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This Florida law should be the basis for laws passed around the nation. States should pick this law up immediately and pass it in their own jurisdictions. This will undoubtedly make rioters think twice before they begin attempting to make other people’s lives hell in the name of “justice.”

Innocent people shouldn’t have to live in fear of the system of laws that give criminals a pass and punish anyone who either defends themselves or tries to escape trouble. While blues states may not adopt this kind of common-sense law and order in their states, let the red states set an example of what it looks like when the criminals are at a disadvantage for a change.

(Related: Dear Protesters, Stop Being Surprised When You Get Run Over While Threatening People in Car)

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