10 months ago
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(NewsNation) — A teen was arrested Tuesday successful a New York City suburb successful the archetypal apprehension nether a first-in-the-nation instrumentality that bans wearing look masks successful public, constabulary said.
Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo was stopped by Nassau County Police connected a thoroughfare adjacent the Levittown and Hicksville municipality line, astir 30 miles eastbound of Manhattan.
Officers said they responded to reports of a suspicious idiosyncratic erstwhile they recovered Ramirez Castillo wearing achromatic covering and a achromatic skis disguise that covered his face, but for his eyes. Police said the 18-year-old displayed different suspicious behavior, including attempting to conceal a ample bulge successful his waistband and refusing to comply with the officer's commands. The bulge turned retired to beryllium a 14-inch knife.
Ramirez Castillo was placed nether apprehension without further incident, constabulary said. He was arraigned connected Monday.
This lawsuit marks the archetypal enforcement of the Mask Transparency Act since the authorities passed past month
The halt was apt unlawful: Lawyer
Ramirez Castillo's lawyers reason the halt was apt unlawful.
"There is nary ground to judge that wearing a look disguise was intended to conceal individuality oregon transgression behavior, and if that was the ground of the stop, I judge determination is simply a ground to reason the halt was unlawful," said Scott Banks, attorney-in-chief astatine the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which is representing Ramirez Castillo.
Disabled citizens angered by disguise ban
Disability Rights of New York, a radical that advocates for radical with disabilities, filed a ineligible situation past week arguing that the disguise instrumentality is unconstitutional and discriminates against radical with disabilities.
The national people enactment suit seeks a impermanent restraining bid and preliminary injunction to instantly halt enforcement of the ban.
What is the Mask Transparency Act?
The Mask Transparency Act was approved by the county’s Republican-controlled legislature in effect to “antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those successful masks” since the Oct. 7 commencement of the Israel-Hamas war.
The instrumentality makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a twelvemonth successful jailhouse and a $1,000 good for anyone successful Nassau to deterioration a look covering to fell their individuality successful public. It exempts radical who deterioration masks “for health, safety, spiritual oregon taste purposes, oregon for the peaceful solemnisation of a vacation oregon akin spiritual oregon taste lawsuit for which masks oregon facial coverings are customarily worn.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
