LatinoJustice PRLDEF Statement on the Passing of HB1 in Florida
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2021
Contacts:
Elianne Ramos | Chief Communications Officer | [email protected] 212.739.7513
Sarai Bejarano | Manager of Traditional & Digital Media | [email protected]| 212-739-7581
LatinoJustice PRLDEF Statement on the Passing of HB1 in FL
Orlando, FL- On April 19, 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law HB1, known as the “Combatting Public Disorder” bill. The following is a statement issued by Ricardo Negron-Almodovar, Legal Services Coordinator with LatinoJustice PRLDEF on the passing of HB1.
“HB1 is a bill that seeks to criminalize freedom of expression by punishing those who exercise their constitutional right to peacefully assemble and express their grievances. As an organization that strives for the equal treatment of the Latinx community everywhere in the United States, we denounce this legislation. HB1 will continue to enable and enhance a pattern of mass incarceration based on racialized policing and selective profiling that will inevitably fall on the black and brown communities of Florida. This law allows district attorneys and prosecutors to selectively decide which congregations of protestors are peaceful gatherings and which are riots. The new law also seeks to silence those that have been wronged and feel oppressed by actions that jeopardize our constitutional liberties. Furthermore, this piece of legislation, as it currently stands in Florida, will also criminalize children of all ages who exercise their right to express themselves in protest.
HB1 puts a disgraceful priority on protecting monuments to racism and segregation by criminalizing individuals practicing their 1st Amendment rights and peacefully protesting memorials to a shameful past. At LatinoJustice PRLDEF we understand the plight of the communities we serve; the oppression they have faced; and how their voice is a powerful instrument to obtain the fought-for rights we enjoy today. We cannot and we will not stand by as our community’s voiced is drowned and criminalized by these proposed measures.”
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For more than 40 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout New York and beyond. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.latinojustice.org.