(The Center Square) — The New York City Council has approved bills aimed at increasing NYPD oversight of protests, including a controversial provision allowing for a buffer zone around religious and educational sites that has drawn threats of legal challenges from civil liberties groups.
The package of legislation that passed Thursday included bills that would authorize the New York City Police Department to look at the possibility of creating buffer zones around synagogues, churches, and other houses of worship, as well as colleges, during demonstrations in response to a rise in hate crimes.
The council stripped the bill of a previous provision that would have authorized a 100-foot buffer zone, leaving the distancing decision to NYPD officials to determine as part of their review.
“This legislative package strengthens transparency, improves coordination, and ensures safe access while fully safeguarding First Amendment rights,” Menin said in remarks Thursday. “We must protect freedom of religion and freedom of education while upholding the sacrosanct First Amendment rights that define our city.”
Other bills in the package included a proposal by Majority Leader Shaun Abreu that would require the New York City Department of Education to distribute materials to students about the risks of social media and online hate. Legislation filed by Council Member Lincoln Restler, which also passed Thursday, would establish a hotline and detailed reporting system for antisemitism and other hate- and bias-related incidents.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim leader, hasn’t indicated whether he will sign the package of legislation, but the council approved the bills with a veto-proof margin.
“The Mayor is keenly aware of the serious concerns regarding these bills’ limiting of New Yorkers’ constitutional rights, and he will keep these concerns in mind for any bills that land on his desk,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement.
The legislation — along with a similar, statewide plan pitched by Gov. Kathy Hochul — faced fierce opposition from civil liberties groups who criticized the proposed buffer zone as unconstitutional.
“These proposals strike at the heart of our right to express our views – no matter how controversial – in public,” the American Civil Liberties Union of New York said in a statement. “Demonstrators have a right to engage in political protest on public sidewalks. It’s fundamental to our democracy and well-protected by our Constitution.”
But religious groups praised the package of bills, saying they strike a balance between protecting constitutional rights to free speech and protecting worshipers from threats and intimidation from demonstrators.
Mark Treyger, CEO of the influential Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, cited recent incidents at Park East Synagogue and in Kew Gardens Hills “made clear that protests targeting people at their houses of worship cross a red line — threatening public safety and the fundamental right of New Yorkers to practice their faith and return home safely.”
“This legislation is not about limiting free speech or peaceful protest; it is about enforcing the rights of New Yorkers to enter and leave their houses of worship free from hate, intimidation, harassment, and physical violence,” he said in a statement. “In a city as diverse as ours, protecting civil liberties and protecting people from targeted threats must go hand in hand.”
