New York, NY – In response to the news of that Speaker Menin will not call the City Council to for a vote to override Mayor Mamdani’s veto of Intro 175B and will instead put forward a yet another version of the controversial bill, Audrey Sasson, Executive Director of Jews For Racial & Economic Justice, released the following statement on behalf of the organization:

“It’s clear that the majority of the City Council has listened to the thousands of workers, students, parents, legal experts, advocates, and communities like ours that overwhelmingly oppose this legislation due to concerns about discriminatory NYPD violence and the federal government’s crackdown on our right to protest. These ‘buffer zone’ bills have never been about keeping New Yorkers safe, but about silencing our voices. That they do so under the guise of combating antisemitism doesn’t just add insult to injury; it actively endangers Jews. As we have said from the start: these bills are simply bad policy. Instead of wasting time on divisive safety theater, the City Council should join Mayor Mamdani in committing to invest $26-$30 million in non-carceral hate violence prevention in the FY27 city budget, as mapped out in the NYC Against Hate Violence policy platform endorsed by the Progressive Caucus. In the meantime, we’re proud that our organizing is successfully preventing the Speaker’s effort to force 175B through, and we’re committed to making sure no future versions of this legislation become law.” 

Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) has been a leading voice as part of the Safety Not Censorship coalition in opposition to Intros 1B and 175B since the bills were first introduced. The legislation originally called for the NYPD to establish 100-foot buffer zones around houses of worship and educational facilities. Pushback from the coalition, which includes labor unions, community-based organizations, parents, students, and civil liberties experts, played a key role in significantly watering down both bills and preventing 175B from passing with a veto-proof majority. On April 24th, Mayor Mamdani vetoed the bill.

Speaker Menin initially planned to use the City Council’s stated meeting on May 20th to call for a vote to override the mayor’s veto. Due to powerful organizing efforts from the Safety Not Censorship coalition to encourage Council Members who did not vote for 175B to remain steadfast in opposing the bill, the Speaker was unable to secure the votes necessary to override. Instead, per reporting in City & State NY, she plans to introduce a new version of the bill – the third time it will be rewritten in response to pushback. 

The Safety Not Censorship coalition plans to hold a rally to celebrate the sustained veto at 11:30AM today.

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Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) is a 6,000-member grassroots organization and the home of New York’s Jewish Left. For over 35 years, JFREJ members have organized alongside our neighbors to transform New York from a playground for the wealthy few into a real democracy, free from all forms of racist violence.