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Hochul quiet on increased penalties for mask-donning criminals as pols make another push

The New York State Legislature is set to consider a bill that would stiffen penalties for creepy mask-wearers, after a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in New York City last year led Governor Kathy Hochul to appear to have abandoned an effort she had championed.

Despite lip service to reinstating the pre-COVID-19 ban after masked anti-Semitic thugs anonymously threatened Jews last year, Hochul's State of the Union address and budget speech was noticeably absent from any mention of masks, a key signal about his policy agenda this year.

Hochul told reporters last week about the issue of mask shortages in the state, saying he would consider language that would say there should be stiffer penalties for people who commit crimes while wearing masks, and that the process is not yet over. '' he said. of the national agenda.

newly Reintroduced bill Although this does not directly prohibit the wearing of masks, it creates a low-level crime called “mask harassment.” Violation-level penalties specifically target those who harass others by wearing masks “with the primary purpose of intimidation or intimidation through violence.”

Hochul's previous calls to do something about masked criminals were noticeably absent from her 2025 agenda. gabriella bass

It would also add mask-wearing as a potential criterion for increasing penalties for “aggravated harassment,” in which a person wearing a mask physically attacks another person.

Both penalties include clear exceptions for medical and religious purposes, as well as holidays, performing arts, athletic competitions, and professional occupations such as welders wearing welding masks.

“This bill is overdue and urgently needed,” wrote the bill's legislative sponsor, Rep. Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx).

Polish police have been calling for the reimposition of a mask ban since it was lifted during the pandemic, but their voices have been called out following a series of anti-Semitic incidents following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. is even larger.

The Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, National League of Cities, New York State UJA Federation, and New York State Jewish Community Relations Council all support Skoufis and Dinowitz's bill. Rafalino

“It is critical that this security measure be passed to protect all New Yorkers and stop the spread of individuals using masks and face coverings to avoid the consequences of harassing or threatening others. ,” said the bill's sponsor, state Sen. James Skoufis (D-Orange). said in the upper house of parliament.

Skoufis and Dinowitz also touted support from left-handed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who called the bill “strong and fair.”

Last year, a masked man was caught on camera threatening a Jewish man on a New York subway train. Abare/X

Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon, who is also president of the New York State District Attorneys Association, agreed.

“When masks are used during the commission of a crime, they impede law enforcement's efforts to investigate and identify the perpetrator,” McMahon told the Post.

Attorney General Letitia James also indicated last year that she wanted to take action on the law.

The effort still faces opposition from groups like Congressional Left Pole and New York Citizens United. Recently discussed “Risk the health and safety of New Yorkers” and “open the floodgates for selective and racially biased policing.”

Skoufis and Dinowitz's bill also has support from anti-hate groups such as the NAACP, the National League of Cities, and the Anti-Defamation League.

New York City's original mask ban was repealed at the onset of the 2020 pandemic over concerns it could undermine public health efforts to encourage mask-wearing. The clause was adopted more than a century ago during anti-rent protests and was later used to go after the Ku Klux Klan.

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