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Milla Jovovich Says She Is ‘Heartbroken and Dumbstruck Trying to Process the Events’ in Ukraine
Tag: politics
Florida lawmakers could crack down on ‘pop-up’ events
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Authorities would be able to impound vehicles for days and double fines on noncriminal traffic infractions to crack down on large unsanctioned events put together through social media, under a measure heading to the Senate floor.
Bill sponsor Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, said the proposal (SB 1954) wouldn’t apply to protests but is designed to help manage “out of control” social media “pop-up” events. The Senate Rules Committee approved the bill Tuesday.
“With the internet being so popular, we are having people put together events that are unsanctioned and saying basically, ‘Come to this area, and let’s party like it’s 1999,’” Wright said. “And our law enforcement’s hands are tied to do much about it.”
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The proposal would allow authorities to declare areas as “special event zones” in response to unpermitted events that are promoted through social media and are anticipated to attract 200 or more people and disrupt traffic. The zones could blanket entire cities.
The bill would double fines for noncriminal traffic infractions in the event zones and allow law enforcement to impound vehicles for up to 72 hours for traffic violations.
The proposal also would allow local governments to impose more stringent regulations than what’s in state law about vehicle radios or other sound-making devices.
The proposal is backed by the Professional Wrecker Operators of Florida and is opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, called the bill “crazily overly broad, wildly disruptive.”
“If you cross a lane without putting your blinker on, you get fined, it’s doubled. And we can impound your car, which seems a little bit intense,” Brandes said.
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A legislative staff analysis said local governments would be able to recover from promoters or organizers relevant costs and fees tied to special event zones, from law enforcement to sanitation, even if the events are canceled.
Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, questioned the impact to spring break if people are faced with arrests and cars being impounded.
But Sen. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican who supported the bill, said the measure could help local governments when “these things happen out of control.”
“Anything that would eliminate chaos in a party state is helpful,” Baxley said.
Wright said the proposal grew out of a truck meet last year in Daytona Beach that created gridlock on Florida A1A.
“Pop-up events are happening where someone goes online and says, ‘Come to a particular area and bring your dirt bikes, bring your jacked-up trucks, bring some sort of vehicle and break all kinds of laws and stop traffic, start fights,’” Wright said.
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He added that people in Daytona Beach were “shooting each other from truck to truck. They were going across yards, tearing up yards with their big tires. They were going onto the beach putting sand on people that were there sunbathing.”
A similar measure (HB 1435) by Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, has cleared two panels and awaits an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.
No known threats targeting Super Bowl events in Los Angeles area this weekend, authorities say
LOS ANGELES (AP) — There are no known security threats to the Super Bowl, authorities said Tuesday as they outlined the coordinated law-enforcement effort to keep the game at SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles region safe.
Fans attending the game can expect an enormous police presence at the stadium, which will have a tightly monitored security perimeter. Meanwhile patrol officers, tactical teams, K-9 units and paramedics will be been deployed across Los Angeles County in the run-up to the NFL championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at least 500 members of his department are devoted to safety for the big game, including agents focused on ferreting out cyberthreats and preventing human trafficking.
“We have no information of a specific, credible threat against the Super Bowl,” said Mayorkas. “What this is all about is planning and preparation to prevent any incident from occurring.”
Mayorkas’s department, however, warned that a truck convoy on the order of those clogging central Ottawa, Ontario, and disrupting U.S.-Canadian commerce at a bridge near Detroit could emerge and create problems near the Super Bowl site.
“Air Force fighter jets will enforce a temporary flight-restricted zone on Sunday in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, the FBI and other agencies. NORAD earlier in the week scheduled a defense exercise for the airspace over the Inglewood area. ”
The city police department in Inglewood, where the stadium is located, is the lead local law-enforcement effort. It will coordinate with the Los Angeles Police Department and the sheriff’s department. About 400 deputies were dedicated to the Super Bowl, including extra patrols for the county’s transit system, said Jack Ewell, chief of the sheriff’s Special Operations Division.
Inglewood Police Chief Mark Fronterotta said his officers will focus on preventing fights between fans, after a San Francisco 49ers fan suffered a brain injury during an altercation outside SoFi during the NFC championship game last month. “The parking lots will be extensively covered,” Fronterotta said.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said there has been no disorderly behavior at pre–Super Bowl activities at the downtown L.A. Convention Center. The LAPD has canceled some scheduled time off to ensure the department has enough staff for all the week’s events, including a possible victory parade for the Rams, Moore said.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the media on Wednesday on the SoFi Stadium campus in Inglewood, Calif.
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Only small, clear bags will be allowed inside the stadium on game day, though fans are encouraged to bring as little as possible with them.
“If you want to breeze through security, less is more. The less you bring, the faster you go through security,” said Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer.
Security measures extend to the skies, too. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, planned a defense exercise on Tuesday for the airspace over greater Inglewood. On Sunday, U.S. Air Force fighter jets will enforce the temporary flight-restricted zone in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, the FBI and other agencies.
The FAA warned that drone operators who fly unmanned aircraft into the restricted area could face large fines and potential criminal prosecution.
MarketWatch contributed.
‘Freedom Convoy’ protest: How did we get here?
The so-called ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest has paralyzed Ottawa for days, making parts of the nation’s capital inaccessible and forcing some businesses to close.
CTVNews.ca looks at the key events and dates that led to the demonstration.
JAN. 14, 2022
- A GoFundMe fundraiser is started for the “Freedom Convoy 2022” by organizers Tamara Lich and BJ Dichter
JAN. 15, 2022
- The trucker vaccine mandate comes into force that requires all travellers to be fully vaccinated before crossing the Canada-U.S. border
- In a statement, convoy organizers say they came to the decision that the government “crossed a line” with the COVID-19 vaccine passport and vaccine mandates, announcing they plan to travel to Ottawa
JAN. 22, 2022
- The U.S. begins barring unvaccinated truck drivers from Canada and Mexico as the country’s vaccine mandate comes into effect
JAN. 23, 2022
- The Canadian Trucking Alliance condemns the planned protests 24 hours before a convoy of truckers left British Columbia en route to Ottawa
JAN. 24, 2022
- One of the arms of the convoy passes through Regina
JAN. 25, 2022
- Another convoy segment passes through Kenora, Ont.
- GoFundMe suspends the “Freedom Convoy 2022” fundraiser for the first time to give organizers time to provide a plan for the distribution of funds
JAN. 26, 2022
- Segments of the convoy enter Ontario from the Manitoba border
JAN. 27, 2022
- GoFundMe releases an initial $1 million to the truckers from their fundraiser
- A segment of the convoy passes through the Greater Toronto Area
JAN. 28, 2022
- A new convoy passes through Quebec and plans to head to Parliament Hill for Jan. 29
- Nova Scotia bans gatherings along the Trans-Canada Highway between the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Border in relation to the convoy protests
- Some members of the convoy begin arriving in Ottawa and blocking major streets in the downtown core
JAN. 29, 2022
- The main rally for the convoy takes place
- Police estimate approximately 3,000 trucks and up to 15,000 protesters took part
- Hateful and anti-Semitic imagery is seen in the crowd, including yellow stars, the Confederate flag and swastikas
- Widespread condemnation is voiced on some of the protesters behaviours, including harassing a homeless shelter, dancing on the National War Memorial, putting flags and signs on the Terry Fox statue, and public urination on national monuments
- Former U.S. president Donald Trump praises the convoy in Ottawa while addressing supporters in Texas
JAN. 30, 2022
- Ottawa Police Service launched a criminal investigation into the desecration of the National War Memorial and the Terry Fox statue
- A blockade at the Coutts, Alta., border crossing shuts down access to the U.S.-Canada border in solidarity with the main convoy in Ottawa
JAN. 31, 2022
- Parliament resumes after the holidays
- Ottawa paramedics confirm protesters threw rocks at an ambulance and used racial slurs against a paramedic, leading to a police escort being provided for all further calls for safety
- Protesters host speeches on Parliament Hill
- Trudeau delivers fiery remarks in a national address saying “we are not intimidated”
FEB. 1, 2022
- Ottawa police set up a hotline for crimes related to the protest, including hate crimes, and announced two people were arrested and charged in connection with incidents that took place over the Jan. 29 weekend
- Ottawa residents report being challenged, harassed and threatened with violence by protesters
FEB. 2, 2022
- Freedom Convoy organizers issue a statement saying they plan to remain in Ottawa “as long as it takes” for all COVID-19 mandates to end
- Ottawa Police Service Deputy Chief Steve Bell says at a press briefing the remaining protesters are “highly volatile” and that activities have shifted away from a protest to an occupation
- GoFundMe suspends the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser for a second time
FEB. 3, 2022
- Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced the RCMP has approved all requests from the Ottawa Police Service to address the convoy
- Convoy organizers hold a press conference where they decried being painted as “racists, misogynists…and even terrorists”
- One of the leaders of the convoy Tamara Lich says through a lawyer that the convoy has provided GoFundMe with plans for the funds raised
- A second blockade in Alberta in Milk River appears, close to the one near Coutts
FEB. 4, 2022
- Former U.S. President Donald Trump expresses support for the trucker convoy, calls Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “far left lunatic”
- GoFundMe takes down the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser page, saying it violated its terms of service. At the time, the fundraiser had reached more than $10 million
- A $9.8 million class-action lawsuit is filed on behalf of downtown Ottawa residents against the protest over incessant truck honking
- Ottawa police announce they are enacting a “surge and contain” strategy moving forward
FEB. 5, 2022
- U.S. Republicans promise to investigate GoFundMe’s decision to pull the plug on the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser
- Solidarity protests take place over the weekend in Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and New Brunswick
FEB. 6, 2022
- A state of emergency is declared in Ottawa by Mayor Jim Watson
- Ottawa police seize more than 3,000 litres of fuel from protesters, according to demonstrators
FEB. 7, 2022
- Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson requests an additional 1,800 officers in a letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Trudeau, calling the protest a “siege”
- Ottawa city council votes to ask the province to bring legislation to be able to charge the protesters for the costs of damages caused by the demonstrations
- An injunction is granted for 10 days in the class-action lawsuit against the convoy by Ottawa residents to stop the incessant honking
- Trudeau addresses the House of Commons at an emergency debate requested by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
- A blockage is erected in Windsor, Ont., at the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Canada to the U.S. through Detroit
- Protest organizers say at an “emergency press conference” they want to form a coalition of opposition parties with the Governor General of Canada
FEB. 8, 2022
- Ottawa police estimate approximately 500 trucks and personal vehicles remain in the red demonstration zone of the downtown core
- Liberal MP Joel Lightbound holds a press conference on Parliament Hill speaking out against Canadian COVID-19 policies
