In Mineola, New York, suburban officials have recently implemented a ban on wearing masks in public, excluding cases of health or religious significance. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, signed off on the legislation as a measure to safeguard the public in the county located on Long Island east of New York City. The county’s Republican-run Legislature endorsed the prohibition on face coverings on August 5, with Legislator Howard Kopel stating that the move was prompted by a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, often involving individuals wearing masks, since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7.
Under the newly enacted law, it is now a misdemeanor in Nassau County to use a face covering to conceal one’s identity in public, carrying a penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000. However, exemptions are in place for individuals wearing masks for health, safety, religious or cultural reasons, or during peaceful observances of holidays or similar cultural events where masks are traditionally worn. Blakeman emphasized that while protests on campus wearing masks spurred the ban, he views the legislation as a tool not only to address violent demonstrations but also to combat everyday criminal activities.
Blakeman highlighted at a news conference that the use of masks for shoplifting, carjacking, and bank robberies has become a concerning trend that needs to be curbed. Nevertheless, the mask ban has drawn criticism from civil libertarians, who argue that it infringes on First Amendment rights and could lead to biased enforcement practices. Susan Gottehrer, the regional director of the New York Civil Liberties Union for Nassau, expressed concerns that the law’s exceptions for health and religious reasons may grant law enforcement officers, without the necessary expertise in those areas, the authority to decide who should or shouldn’t wear a mask, potentially resulting in discriminatory outcomes.
Gottehrer pointed out that Blakeman’s focus on a cultural battle over the well-being and rights of the county’s residents is misplaced. The decision to implement the ban in Nassau County follows Governor Kathy Hochul’s contemplation of a similar restriction on face masks in the New York City subway earlier in the year, although no concrete plan was put forth.
