The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
October 25, 2019

South Dakota to Drop "Riot Boosting" Law Targeting Pipeline Protesters
----------------------------------------------------------------------

In South Dakota, environmentalists are declaring victory after the
state's Republican governor and attorney general agreed not to enforce
laws allowing draconian fines and prison terms for protesters opposing
oil and gas pipelines. Under the Riot Boosting Act, protest organizers
faced up to 25 years behind bars. The American Civil Liberties Union
welcomed Thursday's settlement agreement, calling the law an
unconstitutional attempt to silence protesters of the Keystone XL
pipeline. The ACLU tweeted, "Let this be a lesson to other states: If
you criminalize protest, we will sue."


.