MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed bills that would create new penalties for attending a riot. The bill would have defined a riot as a public disturbance that involves an unlawful assembly. Attending or participating in such a gathering would have been a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail or a felony punishable by up three-and-a-half years in prison depending on whether property damage or injuries occurred. The bill came in response to protests over a police shooting in Kenosha in 2020. Evers vetoed the bill Thursday, saying current law already prohibits such behavior and the bill could be used to infringe on freedom of speech.
