Lawmaker Seeks to Redefine Rioting After Colleague's Arrest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A Kentucky lawmaker said she will propose changing the definition of rioting after Democratic state Rep. Attica Scott was arrested and charged with a felony count while participating in Louisville protests for racial justice.

Kentucky state Rep. Lisa Willner, a Louisville Democrat, said she plans to file a new bill request Monday that would redefine the word “rioting," news outlets reported. Willner announced the move Sunday during a news conference at Jefferson Square Park, the hub of protests during months of demonstrations in the city.

Scott, the state's only Black woman representative, was arrested and charged Thursday night with first-degree rioting, unlawful assembly and failure to disperse. She has called the charges “ludicrous” and said those arrested were “traumatized” by Louisville police.

Willner said what happened to Scott while she was seeking sanctuary “cannot happen again.”

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