The New York City Council is advancing a package of bills aimed at combating hate crimes and ensuring safe access to houses of worship and schools, as debate continues over how to balance public safety with First Amendment protections.
Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Yusef Salaam introduced the legislation amid a reported rise in antisemitic and other bias-related incidents across the city. The proposal would require the NYPD to develop and publish response plans for situations involving credible threats of injury, intimidation, or blocked access to religious institutions and educational facilities.
“Freedom of speech is truly sacrosanct, and it is a freedom these bills will uphold. What we would not allow people to do is abuse that freedom,” Speaker Menin stated. “We must protect freedom of religion and freedom of education while upholding the sacrosanct First Amendment rights that define our city.”
Earlier versions of the legislation included a fixed 100-foot buffer zone around houses of worship and schools, but lawmakers removed that provision following legal concerns. Michael Gerber, the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters, noted that without a set distance requirement, the bills “would not change what we do day-to-day,” but would instead require the department to formalize its approach in writing.
Supporters argue the measures will strengthen transparency and reassure communities. “Individuals who impede access to a place of worship or interfere with religious services or otherwise commit crimes against individuals coming and going from a place of worship are subject to arrest,” Gerber emphasized.
Critics, however, question whether additional measures are necessary. Eugene Volokh, a constitutional law scholar at Stanford University, observed that people have a First Amendment right to protest near religious institutions as long as they do not block entrances or commit crimes.
The bills must pass the Council before heading to Mayor Zohran Mamdani for consideration.
