FL Supreme Court Asked To Clarify Definition Of “Riot”

Courthouse News reports:

The 11th Circuit asked the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday to interpret the new meaning of “riot” as amended in a state law pushed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in response to protests that erupted following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. That fall, DeSantis referred to the protests as “disorder and tumult” and vowed to have “a ton of bricks rain down on” those who engaged in such conduct.

Under the new statute, a person is guilty of rioting when one “willfully participates in a violent public disturbance involving an assembly of three or more persons.” Soon after its passage, several civil rights organizations that regularly organized peaceful protests for racial justice, including Dream Defenders and the Florida State Conference of NAACP, challenged the new definition.

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11th Circuit asks Florida justices to clarify meaning of ‘riot’ @Megwiththenews https://t.co/pZvvODM4Su

— Courthouse News (@CourthouseNews) January 10, 2023