Ban Masking Now

Early in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve, a man was violently thrown in front of an oncoming subway train in Manhattan. According to Ritchie Torres, a Democratic congressman from the Bronx with his eyes on higher office, the alleged perpetrator was—unsurprisingly—wearing a mask.

“Wearing a mask for the purpose of committing crimes against innocent New Yorkers or for the purpose of intimidating and harassing Jewish students on college campuses should be strictly prohibited by state law,” Torres posted Thursday on X.

As it happens, New York State had the oldest anti-masking law in the nation but repealed it during the pandemic. Torres is correct in calling for its reinstatement. He’s also right to connect the state legislature’s failure to do so to the abuse of Jewish college students by pro-Hamas fanatics. The State Assembly considered two bills to bring the ban back last year, but didn’t act amid pushback from left-wing groups.

Despite the state’s dithering, it has become obvious that the repeal of anti-masking laws has had disastrous consequences for cities like New York. Last month, health insurance executive Brian Thompson was brutally executed by a masked man who quickly fled the city. That murder took place in the city’s busiest neighborhood—Midtown Manhattan—in front of witnesses on a Wednesday morning. But had the suspect in the shooting not lowered his mask to briefly flirt with a hostel clerk, he might still be on the lam.