There are currently several anti-protester bills currently moving through the Ohio Statehouse such as Senate Bill 33 (“Critical Infrastructure”), Senate Bill 16 (“Blocking Road/Sidewalks"), House Bill 109 (“Blocking Road/Sidewalks, Organization Liability"), Senate Bill 41 ("Restitution"), and
House Bill 22 ("Obstruction of Justice").
Without protests, demonstrations, boycotts, and other forms of direct action, many social justice wins would never have come to be. Generation after generation, public protest has achieved important social change, from labor laws to the civil rights movement of the 60s to expanding equal rights for queer folks. Protest is a critical piece of democracy and is an important part of our shared history. Restricting the right to protest is an attack on all freedom fighters and our ancestors.