Council Member Salaam joined by NYC Council at Stated Meeting in City Hall (Courtesy: Darius Osborne)
New York City Council members attending last week’s Stated Meeting voted on the Schools and Houses of Worship Access and Safety bill, covering legislation as part of a broader, Five-Point Action Plan to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate. The passing of houses-of-worship bill, Intro 1-B, in a 44-5 vote, is enough to override a mayoral veto, and had very little pushback by council members. Under this portion of the bill power is given to the New York Police Department to devise a method to address potential obstruction, injury, intimidation or interference at protests located near houses of worship.
The legislative package is a response to a rise in reported antisemitic incidents throughout the state. Activists, politicians, and members of the public view certain provisions of the bill as infringements on New Yorkers’ First Amendment rights to free speech and protest.
Concerns have intensified after the bill was divided, with separate legislation now focusing on houses of worship and educational institutions (Intro 175-B). The schools bill, Intro 175-B, passed 30-19, falling six votes short of a veto-proof majority and leaving the final decision to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has not openly supported the measures.
Speaking on Frontline Voices, Professor Chenjerai Kumanyika, associate professor at New York University’s journalism institute and National AAUP council member, said the bill is reframing protests as a threat to safety rather than a human right.
“Intro 175-B gives us an extremely broad definition of educational institutions which includes college campuses…what this bill is basically saying is that the response to protesting should be further policing, and frankly, that is ridiculous,” explained Professor Kumanyika. “Protest is an essential element to campus life at university where these tough discussions can be had. It’s almost the point of an educational institution to critically think and debate ideas.”
Kumanyika said he watched as over a hundred students and faculty got arrested at peaceful protests over the destruction happening in Gaza in April 2024.
“A protest that brought Jewish and Muslim students together to celebrate Passover amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia,” he said. “You’d think this kind of interfaith dialogue is exactly what a university should strive for. Yet, all this authoritative action by the Council and NYPD is justified in the name of public safety, but I have to ask: do you actually feel any safer?”
Protesters and professors alike now take issue with the bill from an intersectional standpoint; with the city seemingly protecting the illegal land grabs occurring in synagogues affecting Palestinian residents, and on the other, preventing educators from fighting for their unionized rights to fair treatment and pay that have been stripped due to financial budgeting.
A proposed plan must be submitted to the Mayor and City Council Speaker within 45 days of the bill’s effective date, and a final plan within 90 days. The final plan will also be made publicly available on the NYPD website.
“I am immensely proud of the legislative package the Council passed ….to combat hate…. This is an urgently needed and carefully crafted bill that will ensure transparency, accountability, and community engagement in NYPD plans to respond to protests — three pillars to protecting both public safety and free speech rights alike”, said Speaker Julie Menin.
Speaker Julie Menin giving description of her stance on Intro-175B during City Hall stated meeting (Courtesy: Darius Osborne)