New York City Council just passed two bills that could restrict where you’re allowed to protest – or even gather – but the fight isn’t over, and there’s still a real chance to stop one of them. At a time when Trump and the far right are attacking dissent and criminalizing protest across the country, New York City should be protecting our rights, not rolling them back. Instead, Intro 175-B would give the NYPD expanded authority to set up “police perimeters” around schools and broadly defined “educational” sites, handing them sweeping power to limit protests, restrict gatherings, and increase police presence.
That’s not safety. That’s censorship. We’ve seen how this plays out: more discretion for the NYPD and less space for New Yorkers to speak out, especially for Black, Brown, immigrant, LGBTQ people, Muslim, Jewish, and young people. Silencing protest doesn’t make us safer. It makes it harder to hold power accountable and organize in the moments when resistance matters most.
Now the fight comes down to this: we need Mayor Mamdani to veto Int-0175B, and we need City Council Members to stand with New Yorkers, by sustaining that veto and defeating the bill.