Governor Kristi Noem heads to federal court to lose another case Wednesday, as Dakota Rural Action and other defenders of our land and water challenge Noem’s anti-protest pro-Keystone XL laws:
…the case of Dakota Rural Action v. Noem, as it has been named, will be heard by the Rapid City U.S. District Court on Wednesday, June 12 at 3 p.m. The hearing will be held at the Andrew W. Bogue Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, Room 301, on 515 Ninth St. In the case, the ACLU will represent the activist groups Dakota Rural Action, Indigenous Environmental Network, NDN Collective and the Sierra Club; as well as two individual activists: Nick Tilsen with NDN Collective and Dallas Goldtooth with Indigenous Environmental Network.
…Since the Riot Boosting bills were announced, the ACLU and many other progressive and Indigenous Rights groups have lambasted them as being anti-free speech, racist, and an example of government authority serving corporate interests.
…“Moreover,” the ACLU’s Friday news release said, “the laws do not clearly describe what conduct or speech is considered ‘riot-boosting’ or ‘encouraging’ a riot. The ACLU argues that such vague and broad language invites arbitrary enforcement, will chill protected speech, and will result in indiscriminate targeting of peaceful organizers” [David Byrnes, “South Dakota ACLU to Challenge Noem’s “Riot Boosting” Act in Court This Wednesday,” Pierre Capital Journal, updated 2019.06.10].
I encourage people to show up at the federal courthouse in Rapid Wednesday to cheer the plaintiffs and the First Amendment and boo the defendants and tyranny as the litigants arrive, but I must assure our hypersensitive Governor that I’m not boosting any riot or other illegal activity. I’m just encouraging my fellow citizens to stand on public sidewalks where they are entitled to stand and express the opinions they are entitled to express.
Not sure that disclaimer will keep you outta jail.
Goooooo plaintiffs!
We’ll also be engaging in a rally outside the courthouse prior to the hearing.
This hearing is about protecting the rights of all South Dakotans (and those who visit our state).
Because peaceful assembly for redress of grievances is our Constitutional right.
It will be interesting to see if our “friends” from the pipeline company and FBI show up to instigate violence, as they did up in Standing Rock.
White supremacy threatens safety in U.S. and Palestine-
Policing in the United States and Israel highlight the dire need to change policing policy. Salon 6.09.19
Tom, I’m not sure either… and that’s the problem. Noem has written a law that she could use as a pretext to send Ravnsborg and her legal goon squad out to harass and bankrupt any political opponent, like Rebecca or me, who encourages any sort of protest against her regime.
I recently read a news article of a federal judge’s ruling as unconstitutional, a similar, over-broad, ambiguous state statue. The fascists, for the meantime, are losing.
One will have to accomplish their own research to find the article or case.
Certainly this fascist law will end in the dust bin.