The Council will not attempt an override of the mayor’s veto of a bill that would have required the NYPD to create and make public plans to create “security perimeters” around protests near schools, but will make another run at the issue by introducing a scaled-back version of the bill.
The new version of the buffer zone bill applies to schools and early education centers, Menin said at a press conference on Wednesday — but not to college campuses, libraries or teaching hospitals.
“We have the votes to do an override, but to jam through an override on an issue where even members who were going to support the override had real concerns. I don’t think that’s a responsible path forward,” Council Speaker Julie Menin said. She added it’s her job “to build consensus” among the members.
Mamdani vetoed the controversial bill last month, citing concerns about stifling free speech and how broadly the bill could be applied to any building where learning takes place, including not just schools but also museums and teaching hospitals.
“The Mamdani administration has not seen the specific legislative language, and we look forward to reviewing it. The Mayor believes New York City must remain a place where students can access their schools safely as well as exercise their constitutional right to protest,” a spokesperson for Mamdani said.
While Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, who’s chair of the Jewish Caucus, was previously the sponsor of the bill, now Councilmember Elsie Encarnacion will sponsor the revised bill. Menin said that change reflects her goal “to take in some of the concerns that some of the members have.”
The bill passed the legislative body just four votes short of a veto-proof majority, 30-19, in March, after being watered down from its original form amid constitutional concerns. The earlier version would have broadly established a 100-foot security perimeter around synagogues and other religious institutions during protests.
The speaker has made fighting anti-semitism a core issue. The bill, and its sister bill applying to houses of worship, are part of her agenda of pushing against anti-Jewish hate. The security perimeter bill concerning houses of worship pased with a veto-proof majority.
Menin has pointed to anti-Israel protests at the Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side in November as the motivating force behind the legislation. At that rally against a land sale event that included properties in the West Bank, protesters chanted slogans like “Globalize the intifada.”
“It would have been irresponsible for this bill to become law, especially as we witness a crackdown on campuses,” the 23-member Council Progressive Caucus said in a statement.
“… Our city can protect students’ right to make their voices heard while also making clear that hate violence has no place here. We remain committed to combating hate violence in NYC and centering the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers in the term ahead.”