Politics
Masks Banned in Public in Nassau County, With Some Exceptions
Violators who wear masks could be fined up to $1,000, although there would be exceptions for people who wear them for health or religious reasons.
People in Nassau County who are caught wearing a mask in public to hide their identities could soon face up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, unless they are wearing one for health or religious reasons.
The Republican-controlled Legislature in Nassau County on Monday passed the Mask Transparency Act, which makes wearing a face covering for reasons other than those having to do with health or religious observance a misdemeanor.
Masks that are not worn for health or religious reasons “are often used as a predicate to harassing, menacing or criminal behavior,” the legislators wrote in the bill, which was introduced by Mazi Melesa Pilip, a Republican.
The bill was inspired by recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including those at college campuses, against the war in Gaza, during which many demonstrators have worn face coverings.
“It is vital that these protesters remove the masks, come out of the darkness and are shown in light, which I believe will deter them from committing violence,” said Representative Anthony D’Esposito, a Republican from Long Island who spoke during Monday’s legislative session.
A vast majority of protests have been nonviolent.
The mask ban is a “dangerous misuse of the law to score political points and target protesters,” said Susan Gottehrer, the Nassau County regional director for the New York Civil Liberties Union, in a statement.
“Masks protect people who express political opinions that are unpopular,” Ms. Gottehrer said, adding that prohibiting them could lead to “doxxing, surveillance and retaliation against protesters.”
Democratic lawmakers in the county on Monday introduced their own bill, the Masked Crime Accountability Act, which would increase penalties against people who wear masks while committing crimes and who are convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor.
“Our bill respects individual freedoms by not imposing blanket prohibitions on wearing masks in public,” said the Democratic minority leader, Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, in a statement. She called the Republican bill “broad and punitive” and said that the Democratic bill “avoids unconstitutional overreach and respects personal liberties.”
