NEWYORK: Congressman Tom Suozzi unveiled his bipartisan buffer zones bill, the Safeguarding Access to Congregations and Religious Establishments from Disruption (SACRED) Act to create a 100-foot buffer zone outside places of worship of all religions.
The bill propose that anyone who violate the buffer zone will face imprisonment.
Suozzi was joined at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center by leaders from ADL, AJC, Hadassah, Union for Orthodox Jews, other advocacy and faith groups. Suozzi
Democratic Congressman Tom Suzy outlined the key points of the proposed bill, saying that a 100-foot safe zone would be established outside mosques, churches, synagogues and other places of worship where it would be a crime to obstruct worshippers.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, and others also announced their strong support for the Sacred Act Bill. The speakers said they hoped that the bill would soon be passed by the Congress and become a law.
The proposed bill has been supported by the Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish organizations, among others. The speakers said that this is the first time in America that people have started feeling fear even in places of worship.
The proposed bill proposes a one-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine for first-time offenders, while the prison sentence can be increased to three years and a $25,000 fine for repeat offenders. If a person attacks someone in the buffer zone, he can be imprisoned for up to 10 years.
The bill, co-led by Congressman Max Miller, would make it a federal crime to intentionally intimidate, obstruct, or harass people exercising their right to religious worship within 100 feet of a place of worship, whether by threatening them, blocking their path, or approaching them within 8 feet for the purpose of harassment or intimidation.
Additionally, Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law at University of California, Berkeley School of Law, has said that “this bill is consistent with the First Amendment.”
“No one deserves to be harassed or intimidated, especially on their way to their place of worship,” said Congressman Suozzi.
“We’re living in increasingly volatile times, fueled in part by social media fanning the flames of division and our foreign adversaries trying to divide us from within. I’ve heard real fear from my constituents over the last few years about the hate they see and feel, especially while going to pray or being visibly religious. We have a responsibility to address that fear in a thoughtful, targeted way that protects our constituents while balancing the First Amendment right to peacefully protest.”
“Every American deserves to practice their faith free from fear, intimidation, or harassment,” said Congressman Miller.
“The SACRED Act ensures that people can access their place of worship safely and without obstruction, while still preserving First Amendment protections for peaceful expression. This commonsense legislation draws a clear line: intimidation and threats have no place in our communities.”
