Mamdani to veto school protest ‘buffer zone’ bill

“This story was originally published on April 24 by THE CITY. Sign up here to get the latest stories from THE CITY delivered to you each morning. Mayor Zohran Mamdani will veto a controversial bill approved by the City Council last month instructing the police department to establish anti-protest “buffer zones” around schools and educational institutions, his office announced Friday. A related bill calling for security perimeters around houses of worship passed by a veto-proof majority. In a statement, the mayor said he had reviewed both bills but found the one for education institutions “meaningfully different.” “The problem is how widely this bill defines an educational institution and the constitutional concerns it raises regarding New Yorkers’ fundamental right to protest,” he said in the statement. “As the bill is written, everywhere from universities to museums to teaching hospitals could face restrictions.” Mamdani’s statement echoed the concerns of labor groups and other allies who said many buildings could technically be considered an educational facility, further limiting protests. Speaker Julie Menin , a moderate Democrat, pushed for both bills, saying they were needed to combat rising antisemitism. She and her allies have said the so-called “buffer zone” proposals are meant to provide greater accountability in the NYPD’s protest protocols, and won’t infringe on free speech rights. In a statement Friday, Menin said the purpose of the bill was safety. “Ensuring students can enter and exit their schools without fear of harassment or intimidation should not be controversial,” she said. “This bill simply requires the NYPD to clearly outline how it will ensure safe access when there are threats of obstruction or physical injury, while fully protecting First Amendment rights.” The veto is the latest confrontation between Mamdani and the Council, with the most recent being over the city’s contentious budget negotiations. The Council can attempt to override Mamdani’s veto in a new vote, or let it stand. United Auto Workers Region 9A, which fiercely opposed the bill, sent a message to its members Friday morning taking credit for the veto and said it would begin whipping Council members to make sure any re-vote fails. The union represents thousands of educators and researchers at Columbia University and New York University. Menin, the memo read, “is potentially going to attempt to override the veto by flipping multiple council votes.” “We will begin a whipping strategy with Council members in the next week but for now, the most important thing is an overwhelming display of public support for this veto.” The religious sites bill passed 44 to 5, a veto-proof majority, but the schools buffer-zone bill passed by a 30 to 19 margin. Despite the overwhelming Council majority that supported the bill affecting places of worship, Mamdani, speaking in a social media video, portrayed his decision not to veto it as a matter of principle, adding that he nevertheless disagreed with “its framing of all protests as a security concern.” In recent weeks, labor and community groups closely aligned with Mamdani have urged him to veto the bill , known as Intro 175, saying that it threatens free speech and worker rights. Legal groups including the New York Civil Liberties Union also strongly opposed the measure. Menin’s bills came as an answer to the widely-criticized police response to protesters who picketed the Park East Synagogue , which had rented space to an organization that helps Jews move to Israel and to settlements on the occupied West Bank, as well as the 2024 pro-Palestine encampments on college campuses. A consortium of prominent Jewish organizations including the UJA-Federation of New York rebuked Mamdani on Friday, calling the planned veto “a profound failure of City Hall to demonstrate to all New Yorkers that our safety is a priority.” On April 17, a representative of Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su met with leaders of more than a dozen unions and the New York City Central Labor Council who pushed for a veto.

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