The Good Gals and Guys Win One for a Change!
Yesterday was small win for the little dogs. House Bill 855, by Representative Diane White Delisi, would allow prosecution for failing to identify oneself. This bill was quite simply a tool to provide the police of this state a means of harassment. I am not saying that we want to live in a state where there are no laws to protect us, and I am certainly not saying that we should deprive our police force of the tools they need to do their job. But, I am saying that it is imperative we provide our police force with the necessary and correct tools so that they may keep law and order.
There is NO DOUBT in my mind that the experiences that Representative Delisi's constituents have are contrary to the experiences of my constituents. My constituents are going to be harassed. Why? Because of their socio-economic status, the communities with which they live, and most obviously their ethnicity. I have seen all of this within my lifetime and want very much to make sure that my children, and my children's children, don't have to see what I have seen.
Representative Delisi never provided the members of the House with any statistics to validate her reason for bringing forth this particular piece of legislation. This bill took the Terry stop beyond what it was designed to do and is evidently unnecessary. We have a hard enough time trying to find enough policemen and policewomen in this state to take care of the SERIOUS crimes like domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, robbery, and murder. Why are we wasting their time and our time with this?
It is evident by the final vote turnaround that many of the members of the House realized this very point. 23 YEAS - 116 NAYS
Thank you to all the members who stood up and helped educate some of the other members on the difference between our districts and theirs.
There is NO DOUBT in my mind that the experiences that Representative Delisi's constituents have are contrary to the experiences of my constituents. My constituents are going to be harassed. Why? Because of their socio-economic status, the communities with which they live, and most obviously their ethnicity. I have seen all of this within my lifetime and want very much to make sure that my children, and my children's children, don't have to see what I have seen.
Representative Delisi never provided the members of the House with any statistics to validate her reason for bringing forth this particular piece of legislation. This bill took the Terry stop beyond what it was designed to do and is evidently unnecessary. We have a hard enough time trying to find enough policemen and policewomen in this state to take care of the SERIOUS crimes like domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, robbery, and murder. Why are we wasting their time and our time with this?
It is evident by the final vote turnaround that many of the members of the House realized this very point. 23 YEAS - 116 NAYS
Thank you to all the members who stood up and helped educate some of the other members on the difference between our districts and theirs.
posted by Rep. Senfronia Thompson @ 11:35 AM
1 Comments:
At 5:17 PM,
Anonymous said…
Representative Thompson, you don't need me to tell you this, but what you did during the debate of HB 855 was a shining moment for you.(One of many) Because of your persistance, you and other members had the opportunity to speak against this bill, and it was OVERWHELMINGLY voted down on THIRD reading! I was amazed, and incredibly proud. I love that you don't let others silence you, and you are an inspiration to me.
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