Events were also organized in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Toledo, Oberlin College and in southeastern Ohio, according to Our Voices Together’s website.
The group on Saturday at Delco Park made sidewalk drawings, blew bubbles and held signs to make a point about peaceful protest and bring awareness to the proposed legislation.
“And what we know from what has happened in Ohio over the years is that oppressed groups will be damaged disproportionately by this kind of thing,” said Lynn Buffington, one of the organizers of the protest. “Because when it’s vague and general, then that leaves it open, arrests open to discretion and discretion, then leads to the implementation of bias.”
Supporters of the legislation say it would give more support for police, firefighters and EMTs who might be targeted during a protest, and add stiffer penalties for people who turn the protests violent.
But Buffington said there were already penalties for people who break laws and cause havoc, and these laws would not target those people.
“I think they are pretending that this will protect from harm at protests, but actually it will just increase dramatically the penalties for things that are already illegal,” Buffington said.
She said churches and other organizations also might be harmed if the laws goes through.
“Organizations like churches will be subject to huge penalties if they even just promote an event, if they even just share information about an event,” Buffington said.
Kathleen Caffrey with Our Revolution Ohio, another organizer, said Saturday’s event was meant to spread awareness about the issue.
“The majority of bills that go through the statehouse don’t even get noticed,” Caffrey said.
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