The New York City Democratic Socialists of America, along with a coalition of organizations that form Mayor Mamdani’s core political base, are pressuring him to veto a bill that would create “security perimeters” for protests at schools, calling the legislation a “radical overreach.”
The groups, including DRUM Beats NYC, Jews For Racial & Economic Justice and unions CIR-SEIU, Teamsters Local 804 and United Auto Workers, were fundamental to Mamdani’s successful mayoral campaign. Their advocacy for a veto, in a letter to the mayor, comes as Mamdani has just a week to decide on whether to turn back the bill.
“We want to show the mayor that there’s a pretty broad coalition of community groups, political and advocacy groups like DSA and also unions, for a wide variety of reasons that think this bill is really dangerous,” NYC DSA co-Chair Grace Mausser told the Daily News. “And we want to show him that if he does this, he’ll have a big backing.”
The bill, which passed with another similar piece of legislation aimed at limiting protests around houses of worship, has drawn concerns about stifling free speech rights, especially for pro-Palestine protests.
The schools bill passed with a 30-19 margin — the first piece of legislation that the Council has passed with fewer than 26 votes from Democrats since 1994, according to Mausser — meaning Mamdani can shut it down from becoming law. The houses of worship bill, which Speaker Julie Menin strongly advocated for, passed with a veto-proof majority, so pursuing a veto would likely be futile.
Councilmembers have voiced worries about the limitations of free speech, especially on college campuses.
The organizations wrote in the letter, obtained by The News, also raised the concerns that this could, per the bill’s language, apply to anywhere “educational programming takes place” — including libraries, childcare centers, including in home settings and OSHA trainings.
The groups also raised concerns about racially profiling students and the fact it doesn’t include a carve-out for labor organizing.
“At a time where people, especially Black and brown students, immigrants, and workers are increasingly fearful of police interactions due to overpolicing, profiling, and discrimination, our elected representatives should safeguard the right to protest, not erode it,” the letter reads.
AP Photo/Andres Kudacki
Mayor Zohran Mamdani salutes his supporters during an address marking his first 100 days in office on Sunday, April 12 in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
The mayor expressed skepticism about the legislation on Thursday, although he has not yet said what he is going to do.
“I will continue to consider the options that we have,” Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference. “I’ve heard from a number of New Yorkers about their concerns about aspects of this legislation. And I will be making a decision on that shortly.”
The bill would require the NYPD to form a plan, to be shared with the mayor and the speaker, for how to address and limit obstruction, intimidation or physical injury. Included in that plan would be whether “security perimeters” are needed and if so, how big they should be.