‘Frightening’: Why this Mass. politician filed a bill on street takeovers
Four street "takeovers" in Massachusetts that resulted in violence provoked state Rep. Christopher Markey, D-9th Bristol, to create legislation to address the conduct.
"I think this would be a significant deterrent for the young men and women that are doing these things," Markey said in an interview on Friday.
He said street takeovers can be "very frightening to a neighborhood" and are often motivated by "pure entertainment" or the "thrill of it." The crackdown from the legislation would have more consequences than what is currently written in Massachusetts law, Markey told MassLive.
The street takeovers — in Boston, Randolph, Middleborough and Fall River over the span of just over three hours — led to violent confrontations, with a police cruiser catching on fire from fireworks in Boston and a Dodge Charger driving at an officer in Middleborough.
Officials said the four were coordinated efforts that start online on various platforms and are intended to overwhelm law enforcement with large, unruly crowds.
As part of the legislation, people who take part in street takeovers where two or more vehicles act in a "reckless or negligent manner" that doesn't allow other vehicles to get by could be sent to prison for no more than two and a half years and fined no more than $2,000, according to the bill. Cars used during a street takeover could also be seized.
Others, who are masked and "disorderly" during the street takeovers or other kinds of rallies, could go to prison for up to one year or be fined up to $500 or both, according to the legislation.
Markey said the seizing of cars is a key component to deterring people from engaging in street "takeovers" because cars are a key component of the violence or the destruction and are "their prized possession."
The encampments and protests from 2020 across college campuses were also part of the motivation for the litigation, Markey said.
Right now, disturbing the peace costs $150 — he said that should cost more, especially for those who are masked.
He said people who are masked are more difficult to prosecute and there is "more intention" behind concealing their identity.
Someone "shouldn't be able to walk away with just a fine," he said.
He was also motivated to file the legislation based on the success of bills in other states, like Connecticut. Other states have also filed laws addressing street takeovers, including New York, South Carolina and Virginia.
The takeovers have surged across the state over the past six months, Michael Bradley, the executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, told MassLive .
State Rep. Steven Xiarhos , R-5th Barnstable, a former Cape Cod police officer, said earlier this week that he's filing two bills to tackle the growing social media-fueled phenomenon of street takeovers .
The first would boost the penalty for assaulting a police officer from the current misdemeanor in most cases to a felony.
The second is based on existing law in Florida . That statute, enacted in 2022, prohibits street takeovers and punishes spectators and participants.
More on Politics
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
