City Council narrows school protest buffer zone bill weeks after Mamdani's veto | amNewYork

A City Council bill requiring NYPD planning for protests near educational facilities was vetoed and is now being rewritten to reduce constitutional concerns. The amended version focuses on early childhood education centers and most K-12 schools. It explicitly excludes colleges, universities, libraries, and teaching hospitals, which were central to concerns raised after the veto. The rewrite is intended to avoid an override fight with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The original bill would have required NYPD to develop and publicly post plans for responding to protests when there is a risk of obstruction, injury, intimidation, or interference. The bill passed the Council in March but fell short of a veto-proof majority.

"A vetoed City Council bill requiring the NYPD to plan for protests outside schools is being rewritten to focus on early childhood education centers and most K-12 schools, as lawmakers move to avoid an override fight with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The rewrite marks a shift in strategy for Council Speaker Julie Menin, who claimed on Wednesday the city's legislature had mustered enough support to override Mamdani's veto, but chose instead to address concerns from members who backed the bill's intent while questioning its scope."

"Speaker Menin said the amended version would explicitly exclude colleges, universities, libraries, and teaching hospitals sites at the center of concerns raised by Mamdani and civil liberties advocates when the original measure was rejected last month over First Amendment concerns. We had 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, Menin said ahead of the City Council's May 20 stated meeting. It's my job as speaker to build consensus."

"The original measure, sponsored by Bronx Council Member Eric Dinowitz, would have required the NYPD to develop and publicly post plans for responding to protests near educational facilities when there is a risk of obstruction, injury, intimidation, or interference. It passed the Council in March by a 30-19 vote, six votes short of a veto-proof majority. Mamdani vetoed the bill in April, saying its definition of educational facilities was too broad and could raise constitutional concerns by covering universities, museums, and teaching hospitals."

"He warned it could affect workers protesting immigration enforcement, students demonstrating over fossil fuel divestment, or protesters speaking in support of Palestinian rights. At the same time, Mamdani allowed a companion bill covering houses of worship to become law."

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