MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed bills that would create new penalties for attending a riot.
The bill would have defined a riot as a public disturbance that involves an unlawful assembly.
Attending or participating in such a gathering would have been a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail or a felony punishable by up three-and-a-half years in prison depending on whether property damage or injuries occurred.
The bill came in response to protests over a police shooting in Kenosha in 2020.
Evers vetoed the bill Thursday, saying current law already prohibits such behavior and the bill could be used to infringe on freedom of speech.
