NY proposal against wearing a mask during the crime stigmatized masking and will not stop anti -Semitism, say lawyers say

On April 28, New York legislators and governor Kathy Hochul made a contract for the budget of 254 billion US dollars for the 2026 financial year. The budget, which had still changed due to the estimated federal financing due to ten billion billions – took almost a month after his period. Although budget delays in New York's notorious opaque process are not unusual, this was particularly controversial, which was partly due to Hochul's proposed ban on mask. Thanks to the obvious opposition by the advocacy, civil rights groups and legislators, which the final budget agreement itself does not criminalize itself, however, increases the punishments for those who wear a mask while they commit certain crimes.

The proposal would “create a new offense in class B to use people who use a mask to hide their identity if they committed a class A or a higher crime off or flee immediately after the scene crimes”, as can be seen from a press release from Hochul's office. Although Hochul goes back her original proposal, activists say that these new rules of the community would still harm.

“It can be seen soothing that Hochul's proposal to create a new crime of” masked harassment “was dropped,” said Dr. Oni Blackstock, a primary care and founder and executive director of Health Justice, a consultation of racial and health advice. “But even with this shift, the broader urge to limit mask use in public spaces will continue to cause serious concerns of public health.”

In response to Prism's request for comments, Hochul's office referred to her comments in a press conference on April 28th.

“What people are looking for is that someone is unable to wear a mask if they harm another person or have committed a crime,” said Hochul. “I don't want people to wear a mask in a subway that can hit someone's crap … Although I have cameras on the trains and cannot identify them, the police cannot identify them.”

Hochul threw their support for a ban on mask last June in June in response to the wave of propalestinic protests and camps against Israel's genocide in Gaza after the leadership of Republican states such as North Carolina. While these protests included many Jewish supporters, Hochul and supporters of the ban established the wrong connection between mask supply and anti -Semitic crimes. Many of the demonstrators wore masks to avoid surveillance, harassment and doxxing – and the recent disappearance of the Palestinian student movement manager of Columbia University show that their fears were not unfounded.

“This type of laws give the police the power to harass and suppress black and brown people,” said Jonathan Ben-Menachem, a doctorate in Columbia. Candidate and organizer at the student workers of Columbia who were involved in the protests there. “We know from recent years that the NYPD is aggressive against the Palestine activism, in particular actions, which are led by Palestinians.”

It is deeply ironic to see a democratic governor who pretends to oppose the Trump government that tries to prohibit masks while masked ice agents kidnap students.

Jonathan Ben-Menachem, Student Workers of Columbia Organizer

Even in the changed version of the ban, said Ben-Menachem, any kind of prison sentence would lead to surveillance, abuse and longer prison times.

“It is deeply ironic to see a democratic governor who pretends to oppose the Trump government that tries to ban masks while he is masked [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Agents kidnap students, ”he said.

The democratic state of Senator James Skoufis, who summarized the legislation of masking with Jeffrey Dinowitz with the Democratic State Assembly, said that the legislator had adapted the law to ensure that ice was no longer powerful to arrest immigrants.

A base group called Jews for Mask Rights published a letter signed by almost 100 organizations, including the New York Civil Liberties Union, 300 Jewish leaders and 250 members of the health professions that oppose the originally proposed ban. “A ban on mask is the least Jewish reaction to concerns about anti -Semitism and violates our traditions and values ​​directly,” says the letter.

Proponents say that discouraging masking raises enormous concerns for public health in any way, especially during the current Covid 19 pandemic, which killed more than 85,000 New York and had long-term symptoms for half a million and counted and in the middle of the up-and-coming threat of bird flu, poor air quality and other air illnesses. (New York's existing law to restrict the mask was canceled in 2020.)

“Science has never changed,” said a spokesman for Jews for mask rights to Prism via e -mail. It did not stop her name for security reasons because members of the group were bothered. “People want to continue without being reminded. But many of us still live with the effects of what Covid has done and what continues to do.”

Masks are a “really important tool” for people to protect themselves from illnesses or other people when they are sick, said Blackstock. For some reason, the discouraging masking will create a “dangerous situation”, she added, especially for disabled and immunodized people and color communities. Proponents and medical specialists say that these groups will also suspend a higher risk of criminalization, illness and further disabilities.

After her first push last year, Hochul seemed to shift attention from a mask ban, about the time when Nassau County said goodbye at the end of August. This prohibition followed a public hearing that the Jews described as “traumatic” for mask law spokesman; Some participants mocked and coughed over people who campaigned for mask rights.

But this spring, a few months after Trump's presidency, Hochul made a priority again. Although Hochul has a connection, Trump threatened government funding, also for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority if politics does not go according to his wishes.

Hochul supported a revised version of the ban on mask, which includes a liberation for masked masking for health or religious reasons. This proposal was further adjusted to improve the conviction for masked harassment.

Prism said supporters that this would have the impact of the discourage masking in general.

“The punishment of mask supply is still punished by convicting improvements for the protection of their health and is disproportionately polished,” said the Jews for Mask Justice speakers.

“The restriction of voluntary masking in public is really non -binding. Vaccines and masks keep us and our families safely,” Jabari Brispor, Senator of the Democratic State, told Prism in an explanation of Hochul's original proposal. “Whatever her actual motive is, it is clearly not about public security. If she actually wanted to make us safer, the ban on mask would be a ridiculous way to do that.”

Both Ben-Menachem and the spokesman for Jews for Mask Justice commented that such a law would also give immigration agents an excuse to arrest and deport people more easily.

Behind the ban is an organization called #unmaskhaty, a campaign that is led by “civil rights leaders, leaders and lawyers to combat masked intimidation”. It is unclear who leads it, although the pro-Israeli anti-defamation league is involved. The campaign sets masks with KU Klux -Klan -Kapuzen and offers a design language for future mask bans.

“It is frustrating that the groups should protect the Jews The will protect us, ”said the Jews for Mask Justice speakers.

She proposed other measures that would deal with anti -Semitism and crime, such as: B. an intervention training by Byanger, which told her that she had helped a few years ago when someone had screamed anti -Semitic unrest on the street.

“Mask bans do not stop anti -Semitism – they distract them,” she added. “It is like putting a patch on a flood. You can't fight anti -Semitism with superficial laws.”

Ben-Menachem said: “I am Jewish and I am horrified at how politicians from both parties have false accusations of anti-Semitism to pursue the activism of the Palestine. … It is a disgusting moral panic that will kill people.”

The discouraging masking, especially in a supposedly blue condition, will undoubtedly represent a precedent for more companies, universities and others in order to limit the use of the mask and to improve the dangers of public participation in citizens' life, said lawyers.

“Even suggestions like this can have a terrifying effect,” said Blackstock. “It risks to throw doubts as legitimate and necessary instruments of public health.”

Editorial team:
Sahar Fatima, main editor
Carolyn Copeland, top editor
Rashmee Kumar, editor copy

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