Council speaker unveils committee to combat hate and previews bills to protect houses of worship

Speaker Menon opened the meeting by announcing the formation of a committee to combat hate and by saying she had asked the council’s ethics committee to meet immediately to conclude its review of what she described as Islamophobic rhetoric by Council member Vicky Paladino. "The rise in Islamophobia is not something that we will tolerate in our city," she said.

The speaker previewed a package of bills the council will hear that, she said, are designed to protect congregants and students by creating perimeter zones around entrances and exits to houses of worship and schools and by requiring the New York Police Department to publish a public plan for how those perimeters will be used. "The bills mandate that the NYPD publish a public plan to address the risk of injury, intimidation, or interference," she said, framing the measure as a transparency and safety tool.

Menon said the bills were updated after "incredibly productive conversations" with Police Commissioner (Tisch), including removing a fixed 100‑foot buffer so the NYPD can exercise discretion over perimeter size. She stressed the legislation is content‑neutral and does not impose new criminal penalties: "We don't say anything about the type of protests ... It's absolutely content neutral, and nothing in the bill restricts the First Amendment right to peacefully protest."

In questions after the remarks, Menon said the package had the support of a majority of the council's pending co‑sponsors and that two additional members were signing on that day. She also said the council expects to hear testimony from a range of faith communities at the scheduled hearing.

No formal vote on these bills was recorded during the session; the hearing was set for the following day.