NEW YORK – Today at a press conference in Manhattan, Governor Hochul doubled down on her call for lawmakers to put her proposal mandating 25-foot no-speech buffer zones outside of houses of worship and reproductive healthcare facilities into this year’s budget. This comes only days after the Legislature voted in favor of a third budget extender. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) issued the following statement, attributable to Executive Director Donna Lieberman:
“Delaying the New York State budget over an unnecessary, unconstitutional proposal unrelated to government spending is a reckless use of power that undermines New Yorkers’ rights to speak out.
“The no-speech zones that Governor Hochul wants will block whole swathes of our state from protest on any issue. It will likely lead to excessive, biased policing and risk undermining the hard-fought, essential protections that already exist for worshippers and people seeking reproductive care.
“At a time when the federal government is targeting, arresting, and even killing people for peaceful protest, our state lawmakers must defend New York values and the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. The Governor shouldn’t be jumping on Trump’s bandwagon in his authoritarian campaign against dissent and protest.”
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