Authorities in Nassau County arrested a man in connection with its new face mask ban over the weekend, a case believed to mark the first time a charge has been filed for violating the law. It also proves the ban works, they say.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed the controversial bill into law on Aug. 15, one that bans face masks in public places except in cases of religious, health or cultural necessity. The first-of-its-kind ban in the United States aims to increase public safety. Supporters said it would prevent violent protesters from hiding their identities.
According to detectives, officers responded to reports of a suspicious man walking east on Spindle Road, dressed in black and wearing a face mask, Sunday evening in Levittown. Upon further investigation, they say the 18-year-old continued to act suspiciously while allegedly trying to conceal a large bulge in his waistband.
The face mask suspicion allowed the officers to search the man, and they say they found a 14-inch knife on his person. The Hicksville man was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, obstructing governmental administration and violating the local Mask Transparency Act. He was arraigned on Monday.
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Nassau County police say they're not aware of any other Mask Transparency Act violations. No injuries were reported.
"To be able to facilitate these investigations, we need to unmask them," a spokesperson said.
Legislator Howard Kopel said the measure was introduced in response to “antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks” since the Oct. 7 start of the latest Israel-Hamas war.
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All 12 Republicans in the legislature voted in favor of the measure, while the body's seven Democrats abstained.
The county lawmakers 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. No specific plan has been announced to enact such a ban, which like the Nassau measure was floated in response to the rise in mask-wearing protesters.
The Nassau bill makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for anyone to wear a facial covering to hide their identity in public.
The measure exempts people who wear masks for health, safety, “religious or cultural purposes, or for the peaceful celebration of a holiday or similar religious or cultural event for which masks or facial coverings are customarily worn.”
Nassau County Democratic Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton called the law a waste of taxpayer money.
"This law is destined to be struck down in court, further tarnishing Blakeman's already losing record of lawsuits," DeRiggi-Whitton said in a statement when he signed it. "It's deeply disappointing that Blakeman and his Republican colleagues chose to ignore any opportunity for bipartisan compromise or even consider the Democratic bill—a bill that upholds the rule of law, offers a fairer approach for residents, and imposes firmer penalties on actual offenders."
