An Eastern Wisconsin legislator is looking to crack down on those who deface or damage historical properties.
Senator Andre Jacque and Kaukauna Rep. William Penterman have introduced the Preserve Our Wisconsin Legacy Act, which would make it a felony to damage or graffiti certain historical properties.
In their announcement, the duo specifically pointed to an incident in June where, during the “No Kings” protest in Madison, the state Capitol was defaced with black spray paint.
They also spoke about the Han Christian Heg statue and the Forward statue, which were destroyed last year.
Sen. Jacque did clarify, “This legislation is not about restricting the right to protest peacefully. At the same time, there shouldn’t be license to damage or destroy public property, especially important monuments such as these, or any others, which commemorate significant events in Wisconsin History.”
Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.
