Oklahoma Senate passes bill protecting drivers who hit protesters blocking roadways

A bill meant to protect drivers who hit protesters during the course of fleeing a riot passed the Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday.

House Bill 1674, which passed through the Senate by a vote of 38-10, would increase penalties for blocking roadways while also providing immunity to drivers who kill or injure motorists while fleeing the scene of a riot in fear for their lives, according to the Associated Press.

The bill comes in response to an incident in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last year in which a driver in a pickup truck drove through a group of George Floyd protesters blocking an interstate and injured several protesters. The driver, whose family was in the car, was not charged.

“The kids cowered in the back seat because they feared for their lives,” one of the Republican sponsors of the bill, Rob Standridge, said. “That’s what this bill is about.”

According to the bill, it would become a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine for protesters who block a public street.

Democrats took issue with the bill, specifically with how the legislation’s language defined the word “riot,” wondering aloud if “peaceful protesters” could be targeted.