The Spread of Preemption — And How to Fight It Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
Attack By the Gun Lobby • Mayor Gillum and City Commissioners sued by the gun lobby for voting to keep law that bans shooting guns in city parks • Faced draconian penalties: • Personal Fine of $5,000 • Damages up to $100,000 • Attorney’s Fees and Costs • No Indemnification • Removal from Office • Launched Campaign to Defend Local Solutions Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
Extreme Forms of Preemption Super-Preemption • Super-Preemption • Extreme penalties for local elected officials and local governments • Allow special interest groups to sue to bully and intimidate Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
Extreme Forms of Preemption Super-Preemption • Super-Preemption is spreading • In past year, some forms passed in Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia • Spreading into new issue areas • Sanctuary Cities • Intended to chill democracy Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
Who’s Behind It? • Special Interest Groups • NRA and members of the Gun Lobby • Corporate Interests • ALEC • Koch Brothers • Misguided State Lawmakers Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
What Have We Learned? • Power of bringing together multiple stakeholder groups across issue areas — labor, economic, civic, environmental, etc. • Importance of public education and raising awareness of preemption’s spread and threat • Making preemption personal — giving real examples on wages, gun violence, etc. Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
What Have We Done? • Beat the NRA and gun lobby in court, twice • Spread awareness of preemption through millions of local & national media impressions • Assisted in fighting preemption legislation in Florida and other states • Lent support to legal battles • City of Cleveland v. State of Ohio — won • FRF v. City of Coral Gables — ongoing • Florida Multi-City Gun Preemption Suit — filed Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
What Can You Do? • Spread the word about preemption: op-eds, letters to the editor, social media • Organize communities to hold lawmakers accountable for preemption laws that lower wages, worsen public health and environment, promote discrimination, and prevent cities from addressing gun violence • Help us #DefendLocal • DefendLocal.com • Twitter.com/DefendLocal • Facebook.com/DefendLocal Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
Questions? Twitter.com/DefendLocal Facebook.Com/DefendLocal DefendLocal.com
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