The NYC Council passed a bill that would create buffer zones around educational institutions to limit disruptive protests.
The police would establish these perimeters. It was not an especially bold or sweeping measure, but it was intended to reduce confrontation and protect access to schools.
The mayor vetoed the bill, arguing that it could infringe on First Amendment rights and that the definition of “educational institutions” was too broad — potentially encompassing museums, hospitals, and universities, and therefore restricting lawful protest activity.
The mayor’s veto eliminated a measure to reduce public hostility at a time of toxic divisions fraying the city.
The mayor’s supposed concern about the bill’s overreach is easily addressed. The bill could be narrowed to apply specifically to “schools “ with students in attendance. The mayor’s concern with limiting free speech is also without merit. The bill does not stop protesters: people can make their case. However, it prohibited intimidation, harassment and disruption in these zones proximate to schools. In actuality, intimidation, harassment, and disruption can already be illegal, depending upon the degree.
The mayor’s veto was not based on policy, but rather on ideology and zealotry. The mayor often attended disruptive anti-Israel protests threatening violence and posted videos of himself aggressively confronting police who were on the scene to protect public safety. He is appealing to his political base — and to their worst instincts. Recent polling suggests that roughly 30% of young Americans hold the view that political violence can be justified in certain circumstances.
The Council should stand for solidarity and common sense by overriding the mayor’s veto or by simply amending the bill to address the mayor’s concern that it may be over broad and clearly define “schools“ in the legislation
Once again the mayor misses the basic point: Leadership is about reducing conflict, not inflaming it. If we want to reduce violence, our leaders must stop fostering the conditions that allow it to grow.
Cuomo was the 56th governor of New York.
