One of the unverified stories about the June Fourth massacre in Tiananmen Square was that the families of those killed by Chinese troops were charged the standard "bullet fee" exacted of families of executed prisoners before they could get their loved ones' bodies returned.
Bluestem recalled this tale after reading a press release from Minnesota state representative Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River, justifying his new bill, HF2892. In Rep. Zerwas Introduces Legislation Relating to Unlawful Assembly, the exurban legislator explained:
State Representative Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River, will introduce legislation today that would authorize governmental units to hold persons civilly liable to recover public safety response costs if the person is convicted of participating in an unlawful assembly.
“The right to assemble and protest is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Zerwas. “However, unlawful assemblies can incur substantial monetary costs for taxpayers due to local police, fire, and ambulance responses,” said Zerwas.
According to a complaint filed against individuals who staged a protest at the Mall of America in 2014, costs incurred by Bloomington taxpayers were in excess of $25,000 for the police presence needed to respond to the protest.
Additionally, during the Interstate 94 unlawful assembly in conjunction with the 4th Precinct protest in Minneapolis, twenty four law enforcement agencies from four counties were called in to assist the Minnesota State Patrol.“It is my hope that this bill will save taxpayers money if such unlawful protests occur in the future.
Zerwas's co-authors are Matt Dean, R-Dellwood; Tony Cornish, R-Vernon Center; Drew Christensen R-Burnsville; Greg Davids, R-Preston; and, Pat Garofalo, Farmington.
While Zerwas only saw fit to mention protests belated to Black Lives Matter, the tactic is used by unions and other organizations working for change. Heaven knows what Minnesota's Gang of Six would want to charge those scofflaws who disrupted bus and Woolworth counter service in Alabama and North Carolina.
There is no companion bill in the Minnesota State Senate.
Photo: A slide from the The History Channel documentary series Declassified episode Tiananmen Square features this quote. It's difficult to discover the truth of the claim, since a data practice requests in China are rather difficult.
Update: KARE-11 covered the story in its 10:00 p.m. broadcast, although the AP write-up below the news clip only tells Zerwas' side of the story.
Rather than posting the copy, we're sharing the newsclip itself:
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