Cuomo in the NY Daily News — Override Mamdani’s Veto to Protect NYC Schools
By Andrew M. Cuomo
The assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner reminds us once again how violent the political arena, and society at large, have become. At least three attempts on the president’s life, the killing of Charlie Kirk, and the United Healthcare CEO and Park Ave. shootings in New York City all point to a broader pattern of rising political violence and hostility.
Hyper-aggressive rhetoric on social media, political extremism, and the normalization of violence are certainly contributing factors. But so, too, are governmental actions.
Leaders say we should be doing everything possible to reduce hostility. The sad truth though is the heated rhetoric and hostility is effective for both political sides.
Negative political energy is easier to generate than positive energy. Demonizing the opponent is an effective political tactic and each side fights fire with fire.
The result is the extreme polarization and absolutism.
It’s not about agree or disagree, it’s become good versus evil. Politicians hyperbole is then reinforced by algorithms, social media feeds, niche “news” programs and geographic locations. The divide crosses boundaries and is not limited to party, but to race, religion, and income. The politics and policies around immigration, Israel, and targeting the rich are symptoms of the illness.
New York City has seen a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents — an 182% spike this January compared to last — many of them violent. The Mamdani administration’s response: it changed the way they are counted. Rather than reducing the problem they will reduce the reporting of the problem.
With this backdrop, the City Council passed a bill that would create buffer zones around educational institutions to limit disruptive protests. The police would establish these perimeters. It was not an especially bold or sweeping measure, but it was intended to reduce confrontation and protect access to schools.
The mayor vetoed the bill, arguing that it could infringe on First Amendment rights and that the definition of “educational institutions” was too broad — potentially encompassing museums, hospitals, and universities, and therefore restricting lawful protest activity.
The mayor’s veto eliminated a measure to reduce public hostility at a time of toxic divisions fraying the city.
The mayor’s supposed concern about the bill’s overreach is easily addressed. The bill could be narrowed to apply specifically to “schools “ with students in attendance. The mayor’s concern with limiting free speech is also without merit. The bill does not stop protesters: people can make their case. However, it prohibited intimidation, harassment and disruption in these zones proximate to schools. In actuality, intimidation, harassment, and disruption can already be illegal, depending upon the degree.
The mayor’s veto was not based on policy, but rather on ideology and zealotry. The mayor often attended disruptive anti-Israel protests threatening violence and posted videos of himself aggressively confronting police who were on the scene to protect public safety. He is appealing to his political base — and to their worst instincts. Recent polling suggests that roughly 30% of young Americans hold the view that political violence can be justified in certain circumstances.
The Council should stand for solidarity and common sense by overriding the mayor’s veto or by simply amending the bill to address the mayor’s concern that it may be over broad and clearly define “schools“ in the legislation
Once again the mayor misses the basic point: Leadership is about reducing conflict, not inflaming it. If we want to reduce violence, our leaders must stop fostering the conditions that allow it to grow.
Cuomo was the 56th governor of New York.
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