An Ohio lawmaker introduced legislation to make rioters pay for property damages they caused while breaking the law, according to multiple reports.
Senate Bill 267, introduced by Republican state Sen. Tim Schaffer, is currently awaiting committee assignment. The legislation was drafted in the wake of the pro-Hamas protests across college campuses.
“Over the past several years, we have seen how violence has taken a toll on communities and the damage riots and violent protests have caused. We need to hold accountable those who act to harm or damage property and ensure that they are the ones paying for these actions – not the local taxpayers and businesses,” Schaffer reportedly said.
“This legislation is pretty cut and dry. You break it, you fix it,” Schaffer added.
The legislation includes language that prohibits any government official from limiting or restricting the authority of officers to take action to quell, arrest or detain individuals involved in a riot or vandalism.
“We need to do all we can to empower our law enforcement officers so that they can fulfill their sworn duty, and we are fortunate that they want to serve,” Schaffer said. “Effective law enforcement is a hallmark of a modern and civilized society.”
Late last month, the New York Post reported that pro-Hamas criminals caused at least $3 million in damage and “the need for costly extra security at taxpayer-funded City College’s campus in Upper Manhattan” (via NYP):
A protester who threw a flare that torched the roof of the City University of New York school’s administration building caused $350,000 worth of damage alone, said CUNY Chief Operating Officer Hector Batista during recent testimony before the City Council.
[...]
“It’s costing over $3 million — money that should be going to our academic institution and lifting up our students,” Councilman Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx), chairman of the council’s Higher Education Committee, said in response to Batista’s information.
“That’s a real shame — CUNY’s purpose is to uplift people, not tear down the institution,” he said, noting the money could have been used to aid students in science, technology and math programs, college prep programs or students needing child care.
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At Columbia University in New York, one pro-Hamas student even ripped up her diploma when she crossed the commencement stage. As Townhall covered, the student did this in protest of how the school handled pro-Hamas encampments.
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