Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC, says HB 237 actually weakens democracy. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow)
Advocates from various organizations held a press conference Tuesday morning outside the North Carolina Legislative Building to oppose a bill that would regulate mask wearing, impact protest rights, and change the state’s campaign finance laws.
Last month, the North Carolina House rejected controversial Senate amendments to the bill that would have, among other things, banned wearing masks in public, even for health reasons.
The new language unveiled last Thursday allows people to wear only “a medical or surgical grade mask” to prevent the spread of contagious disease. This exemption is narrower than the current, broad COVID-era exemption in state law.
The proposal also allows law enforcement officers to request people to remove their masks for identification purposes. Property owners can also request that people temporarily remove their masks for identification.
Democracy N.C. Co-Executive Director Cheryl Carter explains how chronic health concerns require her to wear a mask when she goes out. She worries HB 237 would put her health at risk.
Democracy N.C. Co-Executive Director Cheryl Carter said she is worried that anyone can ask for a person to remove their mask.
Carter said she has asthma and experiences frequent upper respiratory infections throughout the year. She also has chronic bronchitis and because of her medical history, she must wear masks whenever she is outside.
“Any amount of time without a mask puts me at risk,” Carter explained.
The authority of law enforcement or private individuals to determine what constitutes a medical-grade mask is also problematic, Carter said.
“Why are we giving that power [to law enforcement] and asking law enforcement officers to yet do one more thing in their job? Why are we saying that a manager in Walmart can look at me and say, ‘I don’t recognize you, I feel threatened and need you to drop your mask’?”
Carter suggested the measure would put her life at risk.
“Anti-Protest”
The controversial bill, which would also increase criminal penalties for those who commit crimes while wearing a mask in public, comes in the wake of protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. It would create a new offense for blocking traffic, a tactic used in some recent protests.
Sen. Buck Newton (R-Greene, Wayne and Wilson), who sponsored the committee substitute last month said it aims to reinstate a law that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re really just resetting the law to what it was pre-COVID,” said Newton in a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting last month. “That’s really what the purpose is now, is to deal with organizations and individuals who are intent on breaking the law and hiding their identity, and using the hiding of their identity as a way to intimidate other people — to get away with it.”
“House Bill 237 is a blatant attempt to retaliate against protesters who are exercising their right to protest at the expense of historically marginalized communities,” said Shruti Parikh with North Carolina Asian Americans Together.
“The timing of this bill is no coincidence. It’s a clear retaliation against protesters on our college campuses who spoke up against the genocide in Gaza,” Parikh said.
Under the bill, willfully obstructing traffic during a protest on a street or highway would become a Class A1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 150 days in jail and a fine.
Protesters who impede traffic during a protest while wearing masks could also face felony charges.
“We have a constitutional right to protest. However, our General assembly and a few men here have decided that we should no longer be able to protest if we are not protesting for the things that uphold and support white supremacy,”said Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director of Emancipate NC. “That is an imprisonment on everyone’s democracy.”
Campaign Finance Law
Speakers also voiced their opposition to changes made to the campaign finance law, which were quietly inserted at the last minute into House Bill 237.
Last week, in an unexpected move that surprised Democrats, Republican lawmakers inserted significant changes to state campaign finance laws.
The move led all 20 Senate Democrats to walk out of the chamber in protest when the bill was quickly brought to a vote. It was approved 28-0 by the Republicans who remained on the Senate floor.
“By hiding this campaign finance policy behind the already concerning mask bill, GOP lawmakers have made it clear that their goal is to subvert the voices of the people and instead open up our elections to more outside money behind the backs of their constituents,” Parikh said.
The NC NAACP said HB 237 lessens the power of the people. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow)
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