Republican TN lawmaker introduces bill that penalizes some acts of intimidation, months after hate groups march through Nashville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Months after hate groups and Nazis descended on Nashville, marching through the downtown area with hateful slogans, chants and symbols — Republican state lawmakers proposed a bill that would penalize some acts of intimidation.

The proposal, HB 0055, was introduced by Republican Representative William Lamberth. It makes it a Class A misdemeanor to litter or trespass on property to intimidate another person and discourage them from the “free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege” secured in the state or national constitutions.

Littering, as defined in the bill, can include pamphlets often distributed by hate groups. In late 2023, Knoxville neighbors woke up to antisemitic flyers tossed onto their property with the logo of a hate group known for its virulently hateful online content. Similar hate-filled and absurd fliers were left in Nashville neighborhoods in July 2024, during a time when hate groups targeted the city — demonstrating near a synagogue and disrupting city meetings.

If passed, people would also not be allowed to transport groups in the cargo sections of box trucks. According to NBC News, a group of neo-Nazis holding flags with hate symbols left Nashville in a box truck in February 2024 after they were challenged during a march.

The bill would also make it a Class B misdemeanor to put signs, signals or markings on a bridge over a highway without written authorization from the agency managing it.

The proposal would also allow law enforcement officers to ask people to identify themselves if they have “reasonable suspicion to believe that the person has violated or is violating a state law or local ordinance.” Refusing to give officers their names could be a Class C misdemeanor if the person is lawfully detained.

The bill would also make it an offense to get within 25 feet of officers if they order people to stop approaching or get back. The bill specifically says it’s an “affirmative defense” if people say officers’ orders were not received or understood, depending on the circumstances surrounding them.

Police would also be given more power to approach and possibly arrest people. The bill would specifically say police have “probable cause to believe the person committed an offense, regardless of whether the offense was committed in the peace officer’s presence.”

The Tennessee Legislature is expected to begin its session on Jan. 14.