Mayor Mamdani must veto Intro 175-B and Intro 1-B by this Friday, April 24. We have less than two days to make sure he hears this clearly from us.
Last week, parents, students, educators, and advocates showed up at City Hall to defend the right to protest. We rallied and delivered letters directly to the Mayor’s office and to many Council members. We made sure to be seen and heard by those elected to represent us, because decisions like this will shape who is policed more heavily and who feels able to show up authentically in public space. Many of our communities already face constant surveillance and overpolicing. This bill would deepen that harm.
Intro 175-B would give the NYPD broader authority to control where New Yorkers gather, particularly around schools and places of education. That will lead to increased police presence and more stops, with enforcement continuing to fall on the same Black, brown, immigrant, and LGBTQIA+ communities that are already targeted most. It raises the stakes of simply showing up or speaking out. When police are given this kind of discretion, it often leads to a violation of rights.
Contact your city leaders and urge the Mayor to veto Intro 175-B and Intro 1-B. Earlier versions of this proposal were even more expansive, but our public pressure forced change. That only happened because people spoke out and refused to stay quiet. Now the decision is in the Mayor’s hands, and the volume of public response he hears will matter. Make your voice visible and public so that the Mayor knows that New Yorkers do not support trampling on our right to freedom of speech.
The future of this city is being decided in moments like this.