ID SCR135

The University of Utah women's basketball team experienced a racist incident in Idaho that may have constituted malicious harassment and disorderly conduct according to law enforcement.

The Legislature states that the racist incident is not protected speech, comparing it to the principle that one cannot yell "fire" in a crowded theater or yell racial slurs at individuals to intimidate them.

Yelling racial slurs in a confrontational manner intended to incite fear and intimidate jeopardizes victims' health and safety and therefore is not constitutionally protected speech.

The Legislature denounces acts of racism and commits to eradicating conditions that allow racial animus and prejudice to persist in Idaho.

The resolution acknowledges that people of color in Idaho do not always feel safe and affirms that all people, regardless of race, deserve to feel safe in the state.