AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Senate Committee on State Affairs heard testimony Tuesday regarding banning the use of masks or hoods at protests, which some believe encourages criminal behavior.
Lawmakers invited Hannah Meyers, a director of policing at the Manhattan Institute, to testify. She said she drafted mask-banning legislation that partially inspired new legislation in Nassau County, New York, which bans face masks in public places with some exceptions, according to the reports.
“People are exploiting masks to conceal their identities while committing crimes and terrorizing citizens,” Meyers testified. “Offenders tend to behave worse when they are masked, and masking reduces overall civic engagement because citizens can’t trust people whom they can’t identify,” she continued.
Meyers explained that with mask bans, reasonable exemptions can be taken into account, such as for health, religion, and holidays.
“Judges deal with these kinds of issues all the time,” she told the committee. “They make reasonable adjudications as to whether these are actual, real concerns. Does a person really have a health risk? Do they really wear a certain kind of mask every day, or did they just put the mask on that day to go congregate with lots of other people in a crowded space?”
Others came to the hearing to express their concerns over a future ban.
“I have multiple chronic health conditions, and as such, I’m more cautious than perhaps many people about catching infectious diseases like COVID or the flu, because getting sick takes more of a toll on my body due to my chronic conditions,” said Katherine McArdle.
“No one should have to justify their use of a face covering at a protest or in any other situation,” she continued.
Sameeha Rizvi, a civic engagement organizer for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said a ban would threaten religious minorities, immigrants and activists who rely on masks to protect their identities out of fear of retaliation, she said.
“The ability to remain anonymous is not just a choice for them, it’s a critical safeguard against potential harassment, intimidation or worse,” Rizvi said. “[Banning masks] risks silencing peaceful demonstrators who fear for their safety or livelihoods when they exercise their constitutional rights to protest.”