Some New York City residents believe they will face an uphill battle after Gov. Kathy Hockle suggested she was open to “discussions” about partially banning masks on subways and at protests amid a rise in anti-Semitism — one she essentially brought on herself.
Citing an incident on the New York City subway earlier this week in which “a group of masked people took over a subway car, intimidated passengers, and yelled about Hitler and the extermination of the Jews,” Gov. Hoffle said in a public safety announcement on Thursday that his administration “will not tolerate individuals using masks to avoid responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior.”
“My team is working on solutions, but people should not be able to hide behind a mask and commit crimes on the subway,” she said.
Hokul, who took office in 2021 and was responsible for implementing the mask mandate amid the coronavirus pandemic, acknowledged the issue is “complex” and that there are “legitimate reasons” why some people choose to wear face coverings, mask coverings or head coverings.
New York Governor Hochul says he is considering banning masks to reduce hate crimes and coronavirus fears
“My team is working on solutions, but people should not be able to hide behind a mask and commit a crime on the subway,” New York Gov. Kathy Hawkle said Thursday. (Getty Images)
Hawkle said there are several reasons why people wear face coverings, including religious observances, protection from COVID-19 and the flu, delivery drivers battling the weather, cultural events and Halloween.
Emily Alexander, who works full-time as a babysitter in New York City and travels the subway almost daily, expressed concern to Fox News Digital about how such a ban would be enforced given Hockle’s “long list of exceptions.”
“The scenes I see sometimes on my commute to work are horrifying. There’s a reason this is being talked about now,” Alexander said. “I certainly support a mask mandate, but how can that be possible when the governor and nearly every legislator in the state has allowed exemptions for health and religious reasons?”
“People won’t be surprised if people start changing their religion or claiming a health condition to bully, intimidate or belittle others,” she added. “That will become the new norm and we have to work it out. It’s all likely to fail.”
Another resident, who rides the city’s subway every Wednesday through Saturday, told Fox News Digital he’s not keen on the idea because he believes “it won’t accomplish anything.”
“I don’t think anything is really going to happen,” said a 47-year-old Brooklyn resident who asked not to be named. “I don’t think anything is really going to stop these people. They’re a different kind of evil. They’re just going to say they need masks to avoid catching COVID, but I know that’s an excuse. Who’s going to tell them they can’t wear a mask?”
Rising anti-Semitism leads to increased hate crimes in New York City, police data shows
NYPD officers patrol a subway station in Manhattan, New York City on March 18. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
“You certainly have to say, ‘There are significant exceptions,'” Gov. Hokell said Thursday while answering a question about a possible mask ban.
Fox News Digital asked Governor Hawkle’s office for more information about how he plans to distinguish between people who wear masks in good faith and those who use them to “avoid” punishment for criminal activity, but Hawkle’s office did not respond.
Still, Hawkle said Thursday that now is the time for a “reset,” noting that previous laws banning masks in certain places “did not anticipate something like this back in 1845.”
Legislative action would be needed to push through efforts to ban masks or face coverings without a valid reason in the metro and elsewhere in the state.
The New York State legislative session ended last week, but Governor Hawke may call state lawmakers back to Albany to further discuss the issue.
“There’s no reason why we can’t start having those conversations now,” she said. “We’ll develop a strategy and then determine the appropriate time to address it.”
Following Monday’s incident in which a Jewish-American was targeted on the New York City subway, which Gov. Hokell pointed to, the governor is facing calls to reinstate an anti-mask law once used to prevent members of the Ku Klux Klan from wearing hoods.
“Mask laws will make a difference,” said Scott Richman, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League. New York Post this week.
“It effectively crushed the Ku Klux Klan. Nobody wanted to be seen,” Richman added, referring to previous anti-mask laws that were in place for nearly 200 years before being repealed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I look forward to working with legislative leaders to find ways to address this issue in a thoughtful way,” Hawkle said, appearing to have the support of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“I’ve spoken with Mayor Adams, who has been very outspoken on this issue. [Metropolitan Transportation Authority]”We’re in discussions with local law enforcement. We’ve also started discussions with Congress because this requires legislative action. We’re looking at this. There’s obviously an issue, but it will be addressed,” Hochle said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams attended a press conference at City Hall on March 19th. (Luis C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)
Adams, a Democrat, has also publicly voiced support for reinstating the ban on wearing masks at protests, saying “cowards cover their faces” during an interview on 77WABC’s “Cats & Cosby” on Thursday.
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“doctor. [Martin Luther] “Dr. King did not hide his face,” he said. “I stand with those who are calling for the ban to be lifted not just for protesters who use vulgar language, but also for criminal activity.”
“Now is the time to go back to the pre-COVID way of doing things, which was not allowing people to wear masks at protests,” the mayor added.
