Suburban New York county bans masks meant to hide people’s identities

MINEOLA, N.Y. — Suburban New York officials looking to stop violent protesters from obscuring their identities have banned wearing masks in public except for health or religious reasons. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, signed the legislation Wednesday, calling it a “bill that protects the public.” Nassau County is on Long Island just east of New York City. “We are giving Nassau County an opportunity to reverse its course here to avoid any unnecessary legal actions,” Timothy Clune, executive director of Disability Rights New York, said in a statement. Susan Gottehrer, regional director of the New York Civil Liberties Union for Nassau, said in a statement that the law’s “so-called health and religious exceptions” will allow police officers “who are not medical or religious experts, but who do have a track record of racially-biased enforcement — to determine who needs a mask and who doesn’t, and who goes to jail.” Gottehrer said Blakeman “has chosen to chase a culture war over protecting the rights and well-being of his own residents.” And local Democrats, who are the minority party in the county legislature, said the law is “destined to be struck down in court.” They say it was passed despite Democrats proposing a narrower bill enhancing penalties against those who use face coverings while committing a crime. Nassau County acted after New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, said in June that she was considering a ban on face masks in the New York City subway system.