New NYC law targets protesters near K-12 schools but not colleges

The NYPD must now officially report to the City Council about how it prevents protesters from harassing people around K-12 schools — but not colleges, where most hateful anti-Israel rallies occur.The council passed legislation Tuesday night requiring the report in response to Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoing a bill in April that aimed to create buffer zones around educational institutions including colleges.Mamdani said that bill would have restricted free-speech rights.Proponents of the new law, which was passed with a veto-proof majority, hailed it as still an important step in protecting people.But some critics said that while a move in the right direction, it doesn’t go far enough.“There hasn’t been many protests near K-to-12 schools,” a council source said.Still, it’s “good to send a message” to prevent protesters from intimidating students and staffers, the source added.The City Council’s revised measure, sponsored by Democratic Councilwoman Elsie Encarnación of East Harlem, also applies to childcare centers but not to libraries or teaching hospitals.The new law requires Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to submit a “transparency report” to the mayor and Council Speaker Julie Menin detailing the NYPD’s policies involving the “security perimeters” it sets up around the specified educational facilities.The report will include when the NYPD decides to use a security buffer zone and how it ensures such a perimeter “neither curtails the rights to free speech, assembly, or protest, including student walkouts, nor impedes emergency access to, or egress from” the facility.“This legislation ensures children and families can safely access schools without fear or intimidation while protecting constitutional rights, which are sacrosanct,” Menin said.Councilman Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx), a co-sponsor of the bill, said, “Every child in this city deserves to walk into school without fear of being harassed or intimidated.“Whether you’re i...