Conservative think tank behind 'broken windows' policing and Trump's anti-DEI push has a new target

[Ilikepurple]

7. I'm not sure who here is defending property destruction as a form of political speech

Also, I’m not sure what the trap is here? Did this sort of legislation pass in Utah because unwary Utah democrats fell into the trap. I believe that fighting the narrative that criminal activity during civil protest raises misdemeanors to felonies that are best described as civil terrorism requires direct confrontation with that narrative itself.
I’m not sure how agreeing that breaking existing laws is a crime will ensure that this already moving policy shift towards classifying misdemeanors as civil terrorism felonies will be stopped in its tracks. Many democratic representatives have already made this point clear regarding the destruction of property. The disagreement lies in how serious one considers the crimes within the context of protest. In the confines of protest, should they be elevated, should they be minimized, or should they be treated as they would be outside those confines? Advocates for these enhancements already refer to protest crimes as civil terrorism. The advocates of this policy only need acceptance of this shift in characterization to succeed in many jurisdictions regardless of mainstream Democrats’ proclamations of non support.