Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, will soon introduce legislation that will hold elected officials accountable for injuries and damages done to businesses and private property as a result of rioting and looting in their municipalities.
“Sen. Cruz is working on a legislative proposal that will hold city officials financially responsible for the property damages and personal injuries that result from their decision to allow autonomous zones and/or order officers to stand down in the midst of rioting and looting,” a spokesperson for Cruz’s office told The Daily Caller.
“Sen. Cruz believes that government officials’ first responsibility is to protect the American people. We’ve seen violent rioters take to the streets in Minneapolis, New York City, and Seattle – where they’ve burned businesses and communities to the ground, toppled and defaced statues, and taken the lives of their fellow citizens,” the added.
Civil unrest has gripped the nation since the killing of an African-American man, George Floyd, by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. There have been “autonomous zones” that have started in cities like Seattle and New York where protesters have commandeered areas within cities. Elected officials have ordered law enforcement officials to stand down in the face of such protests.
“I can tell you right now I’m working on legislation to make that very explicit and to give people the right to sue any municipality that pulls back police protection,” Cruz told the “The Joe Pags Show last week. “That it is the fundamental responsibility of government to keep us safe, and if you have a politician who’s so busy virtue signaling to the mob that they’re not willing to protect the citizens.”
Photo by Gage Skidmore