Georgia bill would make blocking police with vehicle a felony amid protest debate

Georgia Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that would make it a felony to use a vehicle to obstruct police operations.

House Bill 1076 is lauded by supporters as a response to a pattern of problems, but critics see it as a harsh reaction to the events surrounding the death of Renee Good in Minnesota and potentially limiting protester activities.

State Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the goal of the legislation is to create such a high penalty for obstructing police work that it will prevent it from happening.

“Nothing in this bill impedes upon the right of citizens to peacefully protest,” Ehrhart said.

Mazie Lynn Guertin, executive director of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said a better route might be to classify the charge as a “high and aggravated misdemeanor.”

“Fear of penalty is rarely going to stop someone. What is going to stop someone is fear of getting caught,” she told the AJC.

The penalty for obstructing law enforcement with a vehicle under the legislation would be a fine of up to $100,000 and at least a year in jail.

Another bill, Senate Bill 443, was introduced in the Georgia Senate in January that would increase the punishment for obstructing roadways, including highways, streets and other public passages.