In response to New York City Council passing Intros 1-B and 175-B, the public education advocacy organization Alliance for Quality Education issued the following statement:
“We are furious and deeply disappointed that the members of the New York City Council voted to pass the ‘no free speech buffer zone’ bills, knowing this legislation expands police power, restricts our First Amendment rights, and puts young people and marginalized communities directly in the path of surveillance and criminalization,” said Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari and Marina Marcou-O’Malley, Co-Executive Directors, Alliance for Quality Education.
“This push came under the guise of combating hate, but in reality it is a sweeping expansion of police authority that will silence the very communities most impacted. This legislation threatens the everyday ways people speak out against injustice. It could put student walkouts at risk and raise the stakes for families and educators who gather in public places to raise concerns about safety and racism. It also creates a chilling effect that can make communities hesitate before showing up in public spaces to demand change. But even with how harmful these bills remain, City Council was forced to water them down because we organized and spoke out together.
“Because of our advocacy, and the overwhelming concerns raised, council members were asked to dig deep before voting. It should not go unnoticed that these bills required Republicans to vote in favor of them in order to pass.
“There is still a fighting chance: we need New Yorkers across the city to organize and speak out so Mayor Mamdani hears our concerns as we urge him to veto these bills. We have already changed the course of this legislation once, and together we can work to stop it from becoming law.”