"You break it, you pay for it": Ohio Republicans push a law to make vandals pay for destruction at demonstrations

The Ohio Legislature is preparing a new law so that vandals who cause damage during protests will be those who pay for the damage. SB 267 would impose this "you break it, you pay it" principle in the context of anti-Israel demonstrations throughout the country.

This is an initiative of Republican state senator Tim Schaffer, who introduced the bill last May before the Ohio Upper House. A few days later, the text was successfully presented to the Judicial Affairs Commission, which examined and amended the text.

In a statement, Senator Tim Schaffer declared that his bill will make those responsible for the damage responsible for the costs of the damage. “Over the past several years, we have seen how violence has taken a toll on communities and the damage riots and violent protests have caused. We need to hold accountable those who act to harm or damage property and ensure that they are the ones paying for these actions – not the local taxpayers and businesses.”

The proposal would also prevent local authorities from interfering with the work of law enforcement officers during a disturbance. It would prohibit any public official from limiting or restricting the authority of police officers to act to quell, detain or imprison persons involved in riots or acts of vandalism. This detail is important due to local laws passed in Columbus, the capital of Ohio, that restrict the use of non-lethal weapons by police, such as rubber bullets for riots or pepper spray.

Destruction on public roads

The pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the state of Ohio became widespread last May, although they have been occupying the state's university campuses since April and until now. At the end of April, particularly violent clashes between protesters and police took place on the Ohio State University campus, after which the campus camp was evacuated and 41 protesters were arrested.

The pro-Palestinian protests are not the only ones worrying Ohio Republican lawmakers. In Columbus, the violent demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd four years ago left a toll of damage costing more than $5.75 million in the city center. Most of these damages were caused against private businesses, some of them small businesses, in addition to street furniture owned by the city and paid for with taxpayer money.