“Dis-invitations” to Speak on Campus

“Protesters at the University of California, Berkeley caused over $100,000 in damage and several injuries while violently protesting an appearance … causing the event to be canceled. Only three arrests were made by police…. Students at Middlebury College in Vermont disrupted an event … forcing the event to be relocated and live-streamed from a private, remote location. Protesters became aware of the new location and attacked [a professor and the speaker], sending [the speaker] to the emergency room.”
– Greg Lukianoff, FIRE President and CEO,
Testimony to U.S. House Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice

Dis-invitation is the increased demand by college students and faculty that speakers with whom they disagree must not be allowed to speak on campus. Activists first targeted speakers at commencements, but, now, 80 percent of the protests are on college campuses, where administrators often defy the Constitution and revoke or withdraw the speaker’s invitation.

Offenses against the Elderly Become Felonies

H.B. 803 passed the Senate unanimously, with only one dissenting vote in the House. When Governor Deal signed it May 7th; it became Act 419, which takes effect July 1st.
H.B. 803 classifies as crimes coercion, misuse of controlled substances, deception, isolation or exploitation, if they are perpetrated against disabled adults or the elderly or any resident. The bill defines each offense as a felony, punishable by one-to-20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Each violation will be judged as a separate offense.

A 2017 report by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, estimated that victims of elder financial abuse and exploitation lose over $2.9 billion per year. When another study added fraud to that, the loss increased to $36.5 billion annually. Elders report financial exploitation much more often than they report abuse or neglect. Of the 39 states and D.C. that addressed the issue last year, 24 passed laws or resolutions to protect the elderly and vulnerable adults.

To avoid becoming victims, elders are encouraged to personally control, post and open their own mail, refuse to give personal information over the phone, communicate with others on their own phone, and learn what rights they have when dealing with their professional or family caregivers. A call to 911 or police is suggested as a way to clarify situations. Although the many forms of elder abuse result in a 300 percent higher risk of death, the passage of H.B. 803 should improve the situation for Georgia elders.

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