י׳ אייר ה׳תשפ״ו | April 27, 2026
Hudson, Joseph Help Mamdani Block School Safety Bill
Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Rita Joseph, whose districts include parts of Crown Heights, voted against a bill to protect children from harassment outside schools, helping leave it four votes short of veto-proof support.
A New York City Council bill to protect children from harassment outside schools was vetoed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani after falling four votes short of the support needed to override him.
Two of those no votes came from Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Rita Joseph, whose districts include Crown Heights and Southern Crown Heights.
The bill, Intro 175-B, was backed by Jewish City Council Speaker Julie Menin and would have required the NYPD to prepare a plan for security perimeters near schools when children face obstruction, intimidation, threats, or harassment while entering or leaving school.
The bill passed the Council by a vote of 30 to 19. A veto-proof majority requires 34 votes. With the bill four votes short, Mamdani was able to veto it.
A separate bill protecting houses of worship passed with veto-proof support and was allowed to become law. The school safety bill, dealing with children entering and leaving educational facilities, was left exposed.
At the March 26 Council meeting, several Black councilmembers stood with the Jewish community and voted yes. Councilmember Darlene Mealy supported the bill. Councilmember Kamillah Hanks of Staten Island spoke in defense of Jewish students.
Councilmember Ty Hankerson compared the harassment of Jewish students today to the Little Rock, Arkansas, civil rights crisis, when federal troops were sent to protect Black students entering segregated schools.
Following these impassioned pleas for solidarity from their colleagues, Hudson and Joseph still chose to cast their negative votes.
Their votes helped Mamdani block a bill meant to protect children outside school. For Crown Heights families, this was not an argument about slogans, protests, or political messaging. It was about children walking into yeshiva safely.
The need for such protection has become clear in New York City. Anti-Israel demonstrations have targeted Jewish neighborhoods, shuls, and communal institutions. Protesters outside Park East Synagogue shouted, “We need to make them scared,” and the NYPD had to redirect a pro-Palestinian protest away from entering Crown Heights.
In a statement, NYS Assembly candidate Ahron Gluck said, “We have learned over the past few years that although our local socialist elected officials seem nice, their priorities aren’t always aligned with our priorities. When it matters most, the elected officials vote against the safety of the Crown Heights and New York City Jewish community.”
“Instead of trying to reason with politicians, this bill which can Chas Vishalom lead to a real disaster in Crown Heights and the NYC Jewish community, should be the wake up call for every Jewish resident in New York City to register to vote as a Democrat so we can elect our own people and stop relying on those that hate us and that try to destroy our community,” Assembly candidate Gluck concluded.
COMMENTS
Black City Councilmember Ty Hankerson stood with the Jewish community on voting for buffer zone administered by the NYPD to protect students from being harassed and intimidated during protests.
He compared the plight of Black students in the 1950’s in Little Rock Arkansas, who were harassed by white students during segregation.
https://youtu.be/UDv95rhn3lY?t=3171 – Click here to here Councilmember Hankerson speak
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Rock-Nine
https://council.nyc.gov/ty-hankerson/ – the councilmember’s district does not have a high Jewish demographic, which makes it that much more impressive
https://youtu.be/UDv95rhn3lY?t=3675 – CLICK to hear Councilmember Chris Banks, who speaks of protecting students at educational spaces. “when hate goes unchecked, it just doesn’t impact individuals, it creates fear, division, unintended consequences, that ripple across our communities,,….Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in the spaces that matter most.”
https://council.nyc.gov/district-42/
I remember well the great effort the Crown Heights Jewish community was encouraged to make in order to get her elected . She had been doing very poorly in the polls and would most certainly not have won the initial election without our support. She has obviously forgotten this and no longer cares!
Crystal Hudson was endorsed by “community leaders “ one of whom is currently telling everyone not to vote for ahron for assembly. It’s time we elect one of our own so we don’t end up with the same problem.
You need to leave the politics to the Askonim. What you dont understand is the person up against her in the primary (the only election that matters) was a outward anti smite and much worse.
https://youtu.be/UDv95rhn3lY?t=4552 – Click here for City Councilmember Hanks who said,
“These bills have a simple purpose: to allow our neighbors to pray and to be educated without fear…and I encourage everyone to vote aye on these bills, very important bills.”
Crystal Hudson and Rita Joseph both voted no to create buffer zones for educational spaces (Intro 175-B)
Two Jewish councilmembers, Harvey Epstein and Lincoln Restler voted NO on the education buffer zone.
City Councilmember Darlene Mealy stood with the Jewish community, as she always does and voted YES for buffer zones for education and religious spaces.
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An education buffer zone does not take away the free speech of protestors, it just says that protestors can have their free speech, just not in a way that intimidates students who want to go to school without harassment.
If protestors feel the need to protest without a buffer zone directly in the faces of Jewish students, then it’s not about an issue, its about protesting and intimidating Jews. The same socialists who show concerns about chilling free speech with these bills, are the same individuals who prevent pro-Israeli lecturers from having their voice on college campuses.
If Councilmember Salaam, ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusef_Salaam ) who is a Muslim, and whose 1989 conviction was overturned, can vote YES for buffer zones in religious and educational spaces, then Rita Joseph and Crystal Hudson can consider providing safe spaces for students and others near educational places, because there are a lot of people who don’t want to be part of the politics and just want to learn without intimidation and harassment.
Comment by Jay Sorid
Speaker Julie Menin needs only FOUR “NO” votes to change to Yes to override Mayoral Veto.
City Councilmember Rita Joseph (voted NO for a buffer zone for protest activity in education spaces.)
District Office: Tel 718-287-8762.
Legislative Office – Tel 212-788-7352
Email: [email protected]
City Councilmember Crystal Hudson (voted NO for a buffer zone for protest activity in education spaces.)
District Office: Tel: 718-260-9191
Email: [email protected]
Councilmember Hanif stated:
“Growing up in NYC in the years after 9//11, I experienced firsthand what it meant to be Muslim in a moment defined as fear, suspicion and discrimination. …and it also carries responsibility to serve, protect and insure no one else grows up feeling that same fear………just after today’s roundtable….and I were harassed ..an individual shouted Islamophobic slurs, spit at us and chased our guests…it was frightening and dehumanizing..
….I remain committed to building a broad multi-faith coalition so everyone can move through NYC free from fear and discrimination”. https://youtu.be/UDv95rhn3lY?t=7148
Perhaps after being spit at and harassed for being a Muslim, Councilmember Hanif, of all people, can understand that Zionist Jews should also be free to move through educational spaces without fear and discrimination
The fact that Councilmember Hanif was lucky enough to not need the police that day because other New Yorkers came to her aid and stepped in, does not mean that other individuals should have to rely on a chance saving by good samaritans, rather then the NYPD being there ahead of time, so the dangerous situation never happens in the first place.
One of these askonim is deliberately standing by while Crown Heights suffers. We have an opportunity to unite behind a Lubavitcher candidate with a real chance of winning, yet this askan chose to work against him. If we truly want change, now is the time to vote for it.