Illinois bill would bar posting of fight videos with intent to condone violence
An Illinois lawmaker was so disturbed by a Facebook fight video that she introduced a bill to combat the problem.
Republican State Rep. Terri Bryant of Murphysboro says she was concerned to see youths recording the fight on their cellphones rather than trying to get help, the Associated Press reports. “I just want to send a clear message that it is unacceptable to stage these fights or be a willing bystander,” Bryant told AP.
Bryant’s bill provides that it is misdemeanor disorderly conduct to upload displays of violence to a social media website with the intent to promote or condone that activity.
Ed Yohnka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, saw First Amendment problems. “We think this proposal is overly broad and unconstitutional,” he told AP.
