As reported by JNS, last week New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that he would not veto a law protecting houses of worship during protests and demonstrations. The law, Int. 1-B (full text), passed last month by New York City Council, calls for police to create a plan for security perimeters around places of worship. The new law provides in part:
... [T]he police commissioner shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a proposed plan to address and contain the risk of physical obstruction, physical injury, intimidation, and interference, while preserving and protecting the rights to free speech, assembly, and protest, at places of religious worship through the use of security perimeters, in accordance with subdivision d, at entrances to, and exits from, such places of religious worship, including parking lots or driveways of such places of religious worship....
d. The proposed and final plans shall include considerations to be used by the police department in connection with: 1. Deciding whether and when to use a security perimeter at entrances to, and exits from, a place of religious worship...; 2. Determining the extent of such a security perimeter... 3. Implementing such a security perimeter, including steps taken by the police department to ensure that such a perimeter neither curtails rights to free speech, assembly, or protest nor impedes emergency access to, or egress from, a place of religious worship....4. Engaging and communicating with clergy and administrators of a place of religious worship ... in order to understand their relevant needs and concerns; and 5. Engaging and communicating with the public and individuals seeking to assemble or protest at, or to enter and exit from, places of religious worship ... in order to understand their relevant needs and concerns....
