LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Civil fines of up to $500 for blocking traffic have done little to deter protesters from turning Michigan’s streets into stages. Now, House Republicans are pushing back with House Bill 4664, which would elevate such offenses to criminal misdemeanors. The bill proposes fines of up to $5,000 and as much as 93 days in jail for demonstrators who block roadways, including major routes like Woodward Avenue in Detroit, in the name of protest.
Drawing the line between protest and public safety.
Bill sponsor Rep. Alicia St. Germaine (R-Harrison Twp) is drawing the protesting line in the sand at blocking commuters. Free speech is fine – but she says holding people “hostage” on roads is not. In a statement about the bill, St. Germaine said, “Blocking roadways is not only dangerous, but it is also disruptive to public safety. This bill ensures that our streets remain open for emergency responders, families, and workers who rely on safe and clear roads every day.”
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St. Germaine added, “We can protect both public safety and the right to free speech. This legislation draws that line by keeping our roads safe and functional while upholding lawful expression.”
Sheriff and prosecutor: roadblocks cost lives, not just time.
Both Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido testified in favor of the bill last week during a legislative hearing with the House Judiciary Committee. Bouchard said, “We’ve seen individuals and groups shut down highways with little or no consequences, and it creates a significant risk to public safety. Blocking a roadway is not merely an inconvenience. It has life and death ramifications for first responders that rely on open roads to reach people in need, and even a delay of minutes, which I’ve seen tragically as a former fatal accident investigator, means the difference between life and death and losing someone.”
ACLU opposes; lawmakers say free speech isn’t a free pass to block traffic.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is opposed to the bill. Legislative Director Kyle Zawacki said, “Demonstrations on public streets have long been utilized for political speech, marches, rallies. Protests all require a physical space to occupy in order to exist. Michigan’s highways do not exist in a vacuum, and vehicular blockades are not a new form of protest, nor are the government’s frequent attempts to suppress these public demonstrations and silence dissent through police force and legal intimidation.”
State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay) countered the argument arguing that people have the right to move freely unimpeded through the state and also across state lines, saying, “That has been affirmed over and over and over again by courts and the Supreme Court. I know that we’re not talking about lawful protest, we’re talking about unlawful protest. …There is a significant difference.”
If passed, House Bill 4664 would send a clear message that roadways are not rally stages.
