| As we approach the second anniversary of George Floyd's death, the calls for police reform that initially surrounded his murder have taken a very different turn in Texas. While the state did pass legislation to stop the use of chokeholds, much of the fallout has instead been aimed at people who took to the streets in the weeks after his death to protest racial injustice. Gov. Greg Abbott has already signed bills to hit protesters with felonies if they block highways or use fireworks or laser pointers. And he's turned their calls for defunding the police into a rallying cry for Republicans to punish cities and counties that try to cut law enforcement budgets. Now there's more legislation coming to protect police from some of the types of legal action aimed at them since the summer of 2020. He summed it all up pretty succinctly at a ceremony I was at last weekend for fallen law enforcement officers in Texas. "We passed a law to criminalize the conduct of protesters who harm or disrupt law enforcement officers in the line of duty," Abbott said. "We will not tolerate that in the state of Texas." You can imagine the frustration of Black Lives Matter groups. In addition to my latest story, you can also hear me talking about it on the Texas Standard today on public radio stations around Texas. Check that out here. | 
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