Metronashville police wear riot equipment during a 2020 protest in downtown Nashville. (Photo: Alex Kent)

The GOP bill, which expands the right to arrest during public protests and police actions, has sparked push from civil rights and journalist groups as a potential violation of the First Amendment.

Multipart invoice (HB55/SB30) Tennessee Rep. William Lambers of Portland and Sen. Mark Pody of Lebanon — both Republicans — allow police to order the media and the public to remain 25 feet away from crime scenes, traffic stops and “continued and immediate threats to public safety.”

The proposed law also gives police additional enforcement powers during public protests and demonstrations.

The bill would redefine the crime of “garbage,” redefine the distribution of flyers with “intent to intimidate illegally,” criminalize hanging flags and signs over bridges and tunnels, allowing police to arrest misdemeanors of protesters identified through social media videos.

The bill also gives law enforcement the right to request a person’s name based on a “reasonable suspicion of a legal violation.”

in Letter to lawmakers on MondayMore than two dozen groups representing Tennessee’s Muslims, Jews, Blacks, immigrant groups and civil liberty advocates warned that the law “is likely to have a calm effect” on the spectrum of communities listening to public policy decisions.

“We live in a time when constitutional rights and physical security are at high risk for federal workers, students, LGBTQ+ immigrants, Jews, Muslims and BIPOCs.black, indigenous people, people of color) Their letter pointed out. Their letter pointed out. The “real world impact” of the proposed law would violate basic rights of speech and Congress, the group said.

Media organizations are also opposed to the law.

“As you can imagine, journalists appear within 25 feet of a law enforcement officer who works one day each day,” said Grayson Clary, a staff attorney for the Lawyers Committee for Freedom, which provides legal assistance to journalists.

“Maybe it’s the police response to the crime scene, the protest, the rally when it comes to order,” he said. “There are 1 million and a half reasons why reporters need to be close to law enforcement in order to do their job, which gives police too much discretion to shut down the report.”

Similar laws in Indiana and Louisiana create buffer zones between police and the public, including the media, and have been suspended in advance by federal courts, Clary noted. Both laws are currently in the federal appeals process.

Podi told lawmakers last week that the intention of the 25-foot buffer line around police was not to prevent the public from observing police behavior, but to protect law enforcement work.

“They can still be seen. They can still be videotaped,” Podi said. “I don’t think law enforcement is against that kind of thing. We still want them to hold them accountable… We’re just talking about a 25-foot radius when we’re actively doing what (the police) need to focus on our work.”

But Sen. London Lamar, a Memphis Democrat, pointed out that demanding the public 25 feet away can help keep police action away from view. She cited the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. This is an event filmed on bystander video.

“The flaw in this part (of the Tennessee bill) is that it doesn’t give citizens the ability to exercise their initial amendments and catch them,” she said. “And it opens the door to police misconduct and protects them from citizens who have evidence of police misconduct.”

Sen. Brent Taylor, a Republican Sen. of Memphis, cited “Bridge Bandits, Crossroads idiots, Interstate Rebels.”

In response to a question from Taylor, Tennessee Highway patrol lawyers confirmed that if the bill becomes law, Memphis protesters appearing in social media images blocking roads and bridges could be arrested by state troopers, even if Memphis police refuse to arrest them.

Great news from the Senate Judiciary Committee! We handed the bill from a committee that empowers state law enforcement to use video and photo evidence to make an arrest. There is no need to be on-site presence. This targets the Mississippi River Bridge and the bridge thieves who confuse the… pic.twitter.com/jizowc0xwg

– Senator Brenttaylor (@senbrenttaylor) April 3, 2025

The bill’s origins lie in the actions taken by Metronashville Council last year in response to several anti-Semitic and racist demonstrations by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in downtown Nashville.

The Democratic Council, primarily the vote, voted overwhelmingly in favour of promoting four ordinances aimed at hate speech and people who promote it, as well as those who promote it, including a buffer zone around public buildings, a ban on highway banners, and a clause banning individuals behind box trucks.

Tennessee Republican, Nashville mayor’s anti-Semitism bill

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and others in the Metro government have worked with Republicans to create the current law, with supporters citing the need to stem the rise in anti-Semitic demonstrations.

“While efforts to combat anti-Semitism are important shared concerns, these bills include drastic provisions that have dangerous and widespread consequences that compromise principles of free speech, public safety and fair justice,” Nashville Branch.

“In today’s political climate, the law raises serious concerns where immigrants and Palestinian voices are increasingly targeted,” she said.

The Tennessee Senate adopted the bill 30-2 on Monday. The House will consider the bill after debate over the state’s budget.