NEW YORK—New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected this week to decide whether to sign into law new restrictions on protest outside schools and places of worship, a move that would give the New York Police Department (NYPD) broad authority to regulate political expression in public spaces. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University warns that the buffer zone bills, passed by the City Council in March, raise serious constitutional concerns and threaten to chill lawful protest at some of the city's most important sites of public discourse.

The following can be attributed to Xiangnong (George) Wang, staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University:

“We’re disappointed that the City Council passed these bills, which would task the NYPD with writing the rules on where and how people may engage in lawful political protest near the city’s thousands of schools, educational facilities, and places of worship. These measures risk chilling and even criminalizing a wide range of speech protected by the First Amendment around some of the city’s most important sites for public discourse. Governments shouldn’t task law enforcement with determining the limits of political expression. We urge the Mayor to do everything in his power to ensure these bills do not become law.”

For more information, contact: Adriana Lamirande, [email protected]