Nassau County Police made the first arrest under a new local law banning face masks, taking an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala into custody. The department said that 18-year-old Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo displayed suspicious behavior, including attempting to conceal a large bulge in his waistband, which turned out to be a 14-inch knife.
Officers encountered Ramirez Castillo, who was wearing black clothing and a black ski mask covering most of his face, on a street near the Levittown and Hicksville town line, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Manhattan. He was arraigned on misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, Ramirez Castillo will also face a misdemeanor charge for violating the face mask law, which carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Mask Transparency Act was approved by the county's Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month in response to "antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks." All 12 Republicans in the legislature voted in favor of the measure, while the body's seven Democrats abstained.
The law has been criticized by activists like The New York Civil Liberties Union, which claims that the mask ban is "ripe for selective enforcement by a police department with a history of aggression and discrimination", according to the Associated Press. In a statement made a few weeks ago, the group's Nassau County regional director Susan Gottehrer said:
"Masks protect people who express political opinions that are unpopular. Making anonymous protest illegal chills political action and is ripe for selective enforcement, leading to doxxing, surveillance, and retaliation against protesters."
However, upon Ramirez Castillo's arrest, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman stated that the action demonstrated the new law's effectiveness, providing police with an additional tool to stop individuals suspected of carrying weapons or engaging in criminal activities:
"Our police officers were able to use the mask ban legislation as well as other factors to stop and interrogate an individual who was carrying a weapon with the intent to engage in a robbery. Passing this law gave police another tool to stop this dangerous criminal."
The law is also facing backlash from an unexpected source: disabled people. A class-action lawsuit filed on Tuesday claims the law "discriminates against people with disabilities and violates the United States Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and New York State Legislative Intent" and requests the Eastern District Court of New York to strike down the law on behalf of two anonymous immunocompromised plaintiffs and fellow disabled people.
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