Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced his plans to push legislation that will increase the penalties for crimes that occur at an event that has been deemed a riot by law enforcement.
“Today, we are announcing more legislative proposals to do even more to protect our law enforcement officers as well as do more to keep our community safe,” Abbott said at a press conference on Thursday.
The Texas Legislature does not meet again until 2021, but Abbott said he would be pursuing several changes to the criminal code to strengthen penalties. Among the policies he floated was a mandatory minimum prison sentence of six months for individuals convicted of throwing objects at officers during a riot. He also proposed making misdemeanor offenses, such as destruction of property, a felony offense if the crime occurs during a riot.
Officers can already arrest people for “participating in a riot,” a misdemeanor offense that carries a sentence of up to six months in jail. Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa told the Texas Tribune that he hopes the state Legislature does not follow through with Abbott’s policy proposals.
“Instead of talking about the issues that matter most to Texans — ending the coronavirus crisis, protecting and expanding healthcare coverage, and building our economy back better — Abbott chose to introduce nonsensical proposals that will not hold up in court,” he said. “This was done in a pathetic ploy to help Trump and Texas Republicans’ election chances. It won’t work.”
Cities and states throughout the country have been struggling to find the right response to the massive protests and riots that have taken place since the death of George Floyd in May.
