>> PROTESTERS BLOCKING MAJOR ROADWAYS COULD BE CHARGED WITH A FELONY THAT IF LAWMAKERS IN SPRINGFIELD PAST THIS PROPOSED LEGISLATION, THE BILL FOLLOWS RECENT PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS THAT BLOCKED TRAFFIC ON I-90 NEAR O'HARE AIRPORT CAUSING MANY TRAVELERS TECH TO PULL THEIR LUGGAGE ALONG THE FREEWAY TO CATCH THEIR FLIGHTS.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE U.S. PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY NETWORK, WHICH WE SHOULD MENTION WAS NOT A PART OF THAT PROTEST ARE PUSHING BACK ON THE BILL.

HERE'S ONE OF THE GROUP'S ORGANIZER SHARING WHY THEY SUPPORT PROTESTING THIS WAY.

>> A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES, AS I SAID BEFORE, WANT THE GENOCIDE AND AND WANT THE U.S. TO STOP ARMING AND FUNDING IS REALLY GENOCIDE AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.

OUR LAWMAKERS AND THIS ADMINISTRATION HAVE NOT ENACTED THE POPULAR WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

AND SO THE REALITY IS THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO ESCALATE UNTIL LAWMAKERS IN OUR POLICY REFLECTS THE POPULAR WILL OF OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY.

WE DEFINITELY WE UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU CARRY A DIRECT ACTION OR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, THERE IS A CHANCE OF ARRESTS.

>> JOINING US NOW WITH MORE OUR ED YOUNG TO THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC POLICY AT THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, ILLINOIS AND REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAN GAS.

T LEAD SPONSOR OF THE BILL.

THANKS TO YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

REPRESENTATIVE GOSSETT WANT TO START WITH YOU.

PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THIS LEGISLATION WOULD DO.

>> SURE.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME THIS BILL BASICALLY IS MAKING IT AGAINST THE WALL, MAKING IT A CLASS 4 FELONY.

IF YOU WALK IN EXCEPTIONALLY BUSY ROADWAY FOR MORE THAN 5 MINUTES THAT DOES PREVENT OR WOULD PROVIDE AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE FROM GETTING THROUGH.

WE'RE BASICALLY LOOKING AT PUBLIC SAFETY.

THERE'S ACTUALLY A COUPLE IDEAS HERE.

BOTH DEAL WITH PUBLIC SAFETY, ONE MAKING CERTAIN EMERGENCY VEHICLES CAN MOVE FREELY ON OUR ROADWAYS WHERE THEY NEED TO TO GET THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED OF EMERGENCY TRANSPORT, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.

AND ALSO PUBLIC SAFETY ON THE HIGHWAYS.

WHEN YOU SHUT DOWN THE HIGHWAY, YOU ARE ONE PUTTING YOURSELF IN DANGER AND TO THOSE IN THE CARS TO HAVE TO AVOID HITTING YOU OR COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP ABOUT SEEING A TRAFFIC SIGNAL OF SOME TYPE.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT PUBLIC SAFETY TO MAKE CERTAIN EVERYONE SAFE WHILE THEY ARE HAVING THEIR VOICES HEARD.

>> AND TO BE CLEAR, THIS THIS LEGISLATION WOULD MAKE IT A FELONY FOR THOSE MAJOR ROADWAYS FOR PROTESTING AND BLOCKING THEM WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE THAT IS TRYING TO GET THROUGH AT THE TIME OF PROTEST.

YES.

SORRY.

JUST WELCOME BACK TO YOU.

IN A IN A MOMENT, REPRESENTATIVE WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THIS PROPOSAL?

WELL, THE PROPOSAL REALLY HAS A NUMBER OF SERIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL INFIRMITIES.

THEN THE FIRST OF WHICH IS QUITE FRANKLY, WE ALREADY HAVE LAWS THAT MAKE BLOCKING ROADWAYS THAT MAKING BLOCKING SIDEWALKS, EVEN ENTRANCES TO A CRIME.

WE MAKE IT A MISDEMEANOR AND NOT A FELONY.

>> AND BY SINGLING OUT PROTEST FOR THE FELONY.

WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS LITERALLY PUNISHING THE SPEECH AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR FIRST AMENDMENT DOESN'T ALLOW.

THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT THIS IDEA SOMEHOW THAT IT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT EMERGENCY TRAFFIC CAN GET AROUND SOME PLACE.

YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN CHICAGO WHEN WORKS DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, FOR A NUMBER OF WEEKS LAST SUMMER FOR A NUMBER OF WEEKS THIS SUMMER DOWNTOWN WAS SHUT OFF IN MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS BECAUSE OF THE NASCAR AND IN FACT, WHAT HAPPENS IS IS THAT THERE ARE ROUTES THAT ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY FIRST RESPONDERS IN A PROTEST SITUATION.

FIRST RESPONDERS CAN WORK AROUND THOSE AS WELL.

WHAT WE WHAT WE SHOULDN'T DO IS CONTINUE TO ACT LIKE SPEECH AND FIRST AMENDMENT EXPRESSION IS SOMEHOW DANGEROUS AND SOMETHING TO BE FEARED.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT EVEN THESE KINDS OF PROPOSALS SUGGEST.

AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE OUGHT TO REJECT IS A A FREE AND OPEN SOCIETY.

AND IN FACT, JUST JUST EMBRACE THE DEBATE.

WE HAVE WEATHER TIME.

THE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUE IT AND ISSUE NEAR O'HARE ONE THAT REPRESENTATIVE YOU GUYS STAY AND I MAY AGREE OR DISAGREE ON A NUMBER OF OTHER SETTINGS.

REPRESENTATIVE IT.

I MEAN, WHY MAKE IT A FELONY?

IF IF SOMETIMES THESE KINDS OF PROTESTS ARE ALREADY PROSECUTORS MISDEMEANOR?

WHY THE UPGRADE?

>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY HAVING IT AS A MISDEMEANOR ISN'T ENOUGH OF A DETERRENT TO HAVE IT FROM GOING UP BOOK THIS PAST TIME.

THERE WAS NO NOTHING THAT I'M AWARE OF OCCURRED ONE IN DANGER OR HARMED.

ANYONE LOOKS PUT NOT PUTTING ONE DANGER, PUT THEM POTENTIAL DANGER THAT HARMED A PARTY.

WE'VE GOT WAUKEE.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT TIME THERE'S A NUMBER OF STUDENTS OR SOMEONE GETS BY OR THERE IS A FIRST RESPONDER, SOMEONE TRYING TO TRANSPORT SOMEONE.

THIS IS TRYING TO PREVENT A PROBLEM FROM HAPPENING.

I'M NOT LOOKING TO SHUT DOWN SPEECH AT ALL.

I THE THE NATURE OF THE PROTESTS WHO'S PROTESTING, WHO'S HAVING A DISCUSSION MATTERS NOT TO ME.

THIS IS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND MAKING CERTAIN THAT THE PUBLIC REMAINS SAY WE HAVE.

AS POINTED OUT, WE HAVE ALL SORTS OF PROTECTIONS ARE READY OR OR WHERE YOU CAN YOU CAN DO THINGS BECAUSE WE TAKE PUBLIC SAFETY INTO CONSIDERATION.

THIS ISN'T ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT.

NOT TRYING TO SHUT DOWN DEBATE, NOT TRYING TO SHUT DOWN ANYONE'S FREE SPEECH.

DON'T WANT TO EVER DO I FULLY SUPPORT FREE SPEECH.

>> I WANT TO LISTEN AGAIN TO THE ORGANIZER THAT WE HEARD IN THE SEGMENT WHEN HE GAVE HIS REACTION TO THIS PROPOSAL.

>> WHEN WE'VE DONE THESE SHUTDOWNS, LAKESHORE DRIVE 90 94.

THE I-NINETY I-190 EXCUSE ME.

AND IN ALL OF THESE SHUTDOWNS WHEN WE'VE ENGAGED WITH DRIVERS WHO ARE IN IN THEIR CARS IN THE STREET, WE'VE RECEIVED POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM PEOPLE SAYING WE UNDERSTAND WHY RIGHT HERE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING WHEN STAND, WHAT YOUR COMMUNITY IS GOING THROUGH.

AND SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW THAT THE REPRESENTATIVES POSITION IS NOT IS NOT MAJORITY POSITION.

REPRESENTATIVES POSITION IS TRYING TO RIDE THE WAVE, AS WE SAY IN ARABIC TRYING TO RIDE THE WAVE OF OUR MOVEMENT FOR HIS OWN POLITICAL GAIN.

>> REPRESENTATIVE, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?

AND AND DO YOU THINK THIS LEGISLATION COULD MOVE QUICKLY AS YOU HOPE?

>> WELL, YEARS, THE THING I MEAN, MICHAEL, BECAUSE IT MOVES QUICKLY BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.

THIS ISN'T ABOUT ANYONE'S MOVEMENT.

I'VE NOT EVEN CERTAIN UNDERSTAND THEIR PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS THAT WERE THERE THAT DAY.

CAME AFTER THE IDEA THAT WE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.

I HAD NO IDEA WHO WAS PROTESTING.

IT DIDN'T MATTER TO ME.

INITIALLY.

I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF WHAT THAT WE NEED TO DO.

SOMETHING FOUND OUT LATER WHO WAS PROTESTING.

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

AND THE FACT THAT A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THEY BELIEVE ARE THEIR REPORTING ARE BEING POSITIVE ABOUT IT.

IF SOMEONE GOT HURT THE SHERWIN ALL I'M TRYING TO STOP HERE.

THIS.

THIS ISN'T ABOUT PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO SPEAK.

WHO'S SPEAKING OR WHAT THEY'RE SAYING?

THIS IS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.

ALL OF >> IF THIS IS PASSED?

WHAT WHAT WOULD BE NEXT?

WELL, I THINK WE HOPE IT WOULD BE PASSED.

AND IF IT WERE, I THINK IT WOULD BE CHALLENGE QUITE QUICKLY.

BUT LET ME SAY A WORD ABOUT WHAT THE WHAT THE THE ORGANIZERS SAID.

YOU KNOW, I RESPECTED WHAT HE SAID.

BUT THE FACT THIS IS IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S A POPULAR POSITION OR NOT.

WE SHOULDN'T BE GIVING PEOPLE A FELONY CHARGE AND HAVE THAT FELONY CHARGE CARRY WITH THEM THE REST OF THEIR LIFE FOR ENGAGING IN PROTEST AND ESPECIALLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT PUBLIC MATTER POLICY MATTERS.

AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY'RE IN THE MAJORITY OR THE MINORITY.

WE ARE TO PROTECT THAT FREE SPEECH AND WE OUGHT EMBRACE IT.

I MEAN, TOO OFTEN THERE IS THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT SPEECH THESE DAYS THAT MAKES PROTESTS SEEN DANGEROUS AND SUGGEST THAT SOMEHOW WE HAVE TO BALANCE PUBLIC SAFETY AND FREE SPEECH.

I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S TRUE.

I THINK WE CAN HAVE BOTH AND I THINK WE'RE BETTER OFF WHEN WE DO.

I'M SURE WE'LL