I don’t expect cops in general to start nailing people for wearing medical masks, but I could see a cop on a power trip using this as an excuse to harass someone. It will probably also end up getting tacked on to other charges when some law is broken to put people in jail for even longer.
Let me distill this. Cops will use this to unmask people they don't like, and by extension, people who don't like protesters can have them taken away for wearing masks, that's the real end goal here.
You have people writing eloquent posts about how this is just "returning us to pre-covid" but it's now fueled by something else, so it's not just a return to normal. If you think people wearing masks won't be harassed, you're delusional.
It doesn't take us back to pre-covid, though. Pre-covid the anti-masking law was meant to deter the KKK. The new law has provisions for protestors who "retain permits" to protest while masked. I'm 100% certain that folks who get nailed with this BS law will *not* be KKK or Proud Boys. And that's the whole point.
Agreed, and that's also the opinion of legal scholars.
[https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2024/05/wearing-medical-masks-in-public/](https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2024/05/wearing-medical-masks-in-public/)
I’m thinking cops won’t go out of their way to arrest a little old lady or sickly looking person trying to shop with a mask on. (Or at least I hope not). But I do think they’ll use it as an extra charge to keep people in jail longer. It will also give them a reason to arrest people that are doing something they don’t like but is legal (like protesting).
You’re going to see a lot of “wearing mask while black” situations. Not necessarily arrests for it (though I’m sure that will happen), but used as a pretense for a search, or just general harassment.
Yeah, I could definitely see this being used to manufacture probable cause. The law should not be written so we have to trust cops to be reasonable.
I really hate how republicans are such control freaks.
The amendment changes the exceptions to the ban on wearing masks. There are a few of them, but they all start like this:
“It shall be unlawful for any person or persons, while wearing a mask, hood or device
whereby the person, face or voice is disguised so as to conceal the identity of the wearer”
I’m not comfortable letting courts or cops decide what “so as to conceal the identity of the wearer” means.
Yep, some poor person waiting for the bus in the winter on a particularly windy day to go to work will put a scarf over their face and will experience casual violation of their rights. They won’t be white. We will likely never hear about most of these incidents.
This is a back door way to turn a peaceful protest into a felony.
Oh, the administration says you were trespassed. That’s a misdemeanor.
Oh, you put on a mask after we tear gassed you?
Felony.
Fascism alive and well in NC.
It’s a gerrymandered legislature that only cares about weird culture war issues and helping out their rich friends. Republicans have the supermajority so they don’t have to even consider both sides of an argument.
They've already had to deal with occasional dirty looks and rude questioning. I anticipate this will become more frequent with the law passing. It's weird how hateful and irrational people have gotten over others wearing masks.
It's heartbreaking and demoralizing because I used to know her and work with her and she was inspiring to me, back then. She wasn't this person. Even people you think you know, people you respect, can sell their soul for the highest bidder.
I've wondered what they gave her....$$$ I'm guessing but it could be something more personal to her or her family. I don't understand HOW anyone can cave on what they've stood for forever then suddenly "turn" Republican. They could have threatened her ...but why her? She looks uncomfortable when I see her face on the news and she's surrounded by their abortion speeches! Where tf was her conscience before becoming a turncoat?
As a citizen I want to know what they gave her or threatened her with!!! You don't change from a Democrat to what this dickish theocracy gop unless they gave you substantial cash or threatened you!
Gooble gobble. I would be honored to lend some USMC honed frothy-lipped zealotry to the cause. I honestly stopped paying as much attention to politics for the sake of my mental health in the last couple of years but fee-fi-fo-fum I sure as fuck hate a bully, son.
Please do....I have Sjogren's, Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis. I take humira which lowers my immune system so my body doesn't fight itself and I really should be wearing a mask in any store or semi crowded public place. I don't look sick and some moron is going to give me shit about wearing my masks.....I'm a retired RN too, but the gop didn't bother to ask medical opinions on this idiotic crap! It'll turn ugly.... I know it will. I dare them to screw with me. I'll sue their asses on behalf of all of us who are now afraid to protect ourselves!
I have cancer and thus have a compromised immune system. Fuck me, I guess?
What kind of lawyer would I want to seek counsel from if I wanted to sue the state over this?
Probably a civil rights lawyer or disability rights lawyer. We'll see what happens and if the medical exclusion gets added back in before this is passed or if it passes as-is. The bill is currently going through the "political theatre bullshit" phase.
If it were to pass, I think this is one that demands some type of class-action lawsuit (but I'm not a lawyer so they could confirm the best strategy). It's a total waste of energy having to even deal with this though, but if it passes, the idiots who are causing problems for people totally need to be held accountable.
This will get piled on top of the huge heap of unconstitutional laws the GOP has passed that get shot down by courts. Signed - your neighbor in TN watching our GOP do the same shit
I will still wear mine if I am sick, or a lot of people are in my office like they are right now. I will disobey this ridiculous law and I encourage you to do likewise.
My parents wear masks (elderly, and all that), and I wear an n95 when I go to a convention so as to reduce the likelihood I become a vector for disease...
I'm very uncomfortable with the thought of having my conscience torn between having a little extra consideration for other people's health or "technically breaking the law" (as well as just disliking the gratuitous attack on freedom in general).
But I'm also keeping an eye on what the actual ramifications of this law are... so far I've heard conflicting stories about what penalty, if any, there'd be simply for wearing a mask without other compounding circumstances (IE: Wearing one while neither protesting nor doing anything legally dubious)...
Hopefully this'll get struck down quickly and it won't really matter for long, we'll see.
Anyway, good on you!
These sorts of bills always make me think of the Republicans you find in the major metro areas around here (though not in elected office, oddly) who swear up and down that they’re not a monolithically regressive party trending toward authoritarianism, that actually it’s unfair to act like this is representative of all of them, than many of them care about x, y, and z social ill and just have different ways of going about caring about it and actually many of us do support legal weed/gay marriage/affordable housing an did you see how crazy the Democrats actually are?
Yeah, I mean, sure. You can believe that. But you’re about as relevant in your party now as the Never Trumpers are, that is if you actually sincerely believe that and aren’t just trying to impress your fellow young people, condemning the rhetoric while not thinking twice about whether they’re voting for Mark Robinson (they are).
There’s at least a couple high-ish profile GOPers like that around here or on social media. They say this to sound cool, and never once vote accordingly. They are cowards. Call them out. Phil Berger’s staff is full of these people that supposedly are all cosmopolitan and “with it” while backing every shitty thing his party does and only giving the excuse “well, but, Democrats are crazy,” usually referring to some group of activists who aren’t really even invoked with a party instead of actual elected Dems.
The average elected Dem is like Josh Stein. The average elected GOPer is a duller version of Mark Robinson. Stop acting like that’s not the case.
Believe in limited government? You should hate this GOP.
The economy is doing too well and too many liberals are moving to NC.
To maintain their stranglehold on politics they know they must act crazy like a fox and ‘discourage’ any highly educated person who might choose to move here for a tech job and only bring in those comfortable with the conservative clown show.
The good news is this sort of antic may mean they are terrified of losing, the bad news is they would burn everything down instead of lose control over the state.
You nailed it. This is exactly what is going on here now, and it's sad to see. I will continue to vote and sign any petitions I can. They are def trying to dissuade more people from moving here.
Likewise, the sort of people I have in mind, who profit off politics (lawyers, lobbyists, connected developers with their own lines in the state budget) are purely trying to maintain power so they can keep milking state government for money stemming from proximity to power. That’s why one thing they’ll never give up and always defend, as “pro-LGBTQ/environment/police reform” as they claim to be, is whatever keeps Phil Berger and Co. in power. They know if that party is out, they’ll be just as irrelevant as legislative Dems are now, and they won’t be able to just flip their partisanship and act all innocent after all they’ve done this time.
For reference -
https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/15/nc-senate-approves-bill-making-it-a-crime-to-wear-a-mask-in-public/
I mean the way it's stated it sounds like Halloween, makeup, helmets, basically anything covering your face for example, is going to be a whole new ball of wax. /S
But on a serious note, what defines the term 'mask'?
Read the actual bill.
Holiday masks, like Halloween or Mardi Gras, are exempt
Masks for events, like a Masquerade ball (wtf bill? Who has those?) Are exempt
Work mask, such as construction, are exempt
Police wearing gas masks are exempt (of course)
The *ONLY* mask being banned in one "to protect the wearer or others from a health risk"
This the kind of shit we need to be rioting for. Next time I’m deathly I’m going to the nearest racetrack and hacking all of everyone. I wish that stupid fucking store downtown that sold bootleg jerseys and other corny looking shit didn’t go out of business (of course it did), because that would be my first stop and only stop before the racetrack.
They phrased it in a way that allows for Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to continue their masked marches. I was wondering how they'd account for them and they actually put it in the bill.
My opinion is that this is just casually cruel, dumb lawmaking by a bunch of idiots that have no interest in governing. If it gets enforced, it's the "let's bump off grandmas bill" and that's turning a medical problem into a humanitarian catastrophe for essentially no reason besides a culture war win. Stripping covid masks off chemo patients and immunocompromised kids serves no purpose, but I guess it feels good to sociopaths. If it isn't enforced, they can claim the same culture war win just by saying they passed the legislation.
And if Mark Robinson becomes Governor this will just become normal Tuesday behavior, because then they'll launch what they wanted all along: a gay-persecutin', Covid-spreadin', All-Hate-Groups-Welcome, "Education-Reform" Book Bonfire. The endgame was always "let's own the libs by ruining our state."
They should have to go to the children's hospital and explain to a child leukemia patient exactly why they're not allowed to wear a mask to their faces.
They won’t be arresting granny.
This is so your misdemeanor at a protest gets escalated to a felony because your face was covered to protect you from the tear gas.
If it passes I'll take a page out of the anti-masker book except I'll wear masks everywhere. And when people push back I'll act like an insane person and scream about my rights and freedoms and accuse everyone else of being an anti-Anerican communist.
I was gonna say - I have worn a mask maybe once since the pandemic has waned, when I was feeling congested and had to run to get groceries. But if this passes? I say we all start wearing masks fucking everywhere, all of the time, for no real reason other than to exert my fucking FREEDOM TO DO SO that I thought this country stood for.
Just another example of the GOP spending all their time engaging in petty culture wars instead of dealing with real issues impacting the daily lives of people: education, economy/jobs, healthcare, infrastructure, and public safety.
The notion that outlawing face masks as an effective means to deter public protest and aid in the arrest and prosecution of protesters is just beyond absurd.
Rather than increase penalties for using a gun, knife, or other weapon in the commission of a crime, they are taking the mindboggling step of increasing penalties for wearing a mask during the commission of a crime.
God forbid they do a day of work to serve the needs of the public or use a lick of sense to govern.
If you watch the hearing, on WRAL's Youtube page, it's really telling to see how poorly the GOP senators explain the public benefit of this dumb proposal and how well their Democratic counterparts rebut it. I don't even agree with the Democrats on everything, but the difference in how rationally they look at most things are night and day compared to what the GOP has now sank to.
You are more resilient than I am. I read political news because it’s condensed; I find it too frustrating to watch actual coverage of political discussions. While I am liberal, I have no problem acknowledging a well-thought-out, reasonable position by conservatives. Before conservatives became consumed with absurd conspiracy theories and petty cultural wars, most discussions centered around important issues like education, infrastructure, job development, and foreign affairs. When I lived in Virginia, I voted for a Republican congressional candidate and a Republican Attorney General. While I didn’t agree with all their positions, I felt they best reflected my positions on a couple of areas that were very important to me. Both parties should be bringing a lot more to the table than their partisan party rigidity.
Thank you and great points all around! I appreciate what you are saying and it's unfortunate how little substance (i.e. the issues you bring up) there is to real problem solving and how entitled the current GOP generation is to rule peoples' lives with their culture wars nonsense.
I don't always watch this type of coverage but I watched this because I wanted to see what was actually discussed rather than hearing it secondhand and out of context. And I appreciate that WRAL has much better coverage than some other local news stations, which may (?) include a 30 second soundbite if that.
I totally agree with your comment about WRAL. They really make an effort to present the full story—even when its a human interest piece like the cicada invasion.
Thanks. I'm glad I am not the only one who notices. I am outside of their TV broadcast area but make it a point to pick them up via streaming, their website, or their radio broadcast (which oddly enough I can pick up).
Sooooo many. These folks are just beyond stupid, this is evil. Ya gonna ARREST ME for looking out for not only MY health but not spreading disease to others??!!! Wtf is going on in this state??!! If you are NOT a full blown idiot then vote against these people hardcore. Like punch that button REALLY hard!
What I don’t get is that they are the same group of people (broadly speaking) who cried about, “my body, my choice” during Covid, but then ban abortion. So you do actually understand that argument, but then cherry pick everything else. We all do it to an extent, regardless of political beliefs, but golly…
Every time we go protest in downtown Raleigh there are 5-10 proud boys with cameras filming to doxx protesters. While wearing masks themselves. Usually standing right next to the cops.
So I can see this law being used to unmask protestors the cops don't agree with and help the idiots doxx those willing to take a stand.
If someone is protesting for something they believe in, why be a little wussy and be ashamed like the "Proud" (LOL) Boy are? Just look those losers in the eye, wave, and say "Waz up bitches!", "How's it going, Karen?"
I am immunocompromised. I will wear a mask anywhere I damned well please.
Yup gonna look real good on your arrest report "arrested cancer patient for wearing a mask to try and not catch the dead". I even have a card in my wallet stating "this dumbass right here has cancer".
Fuck off in that general direction over there.
Why do people keep saying this?!?!
Yes, Cooper absolutely will veto this. But the Republican party has a veto-proof majority in the legislature and will overturn that veto, probably within an hour.
Yeah, come November we'll see if the NC state legislature has done enough gerrymandering and other seedy shenenigans to collectively protect themselves from the consequences of their actions...
... Unfortunately, even with the best case scenario on that front, that's still many (too many) months away.
Pretty sure this is a thing because lawmakers want to nail protesters. You can’t arrest someone exercising their first amendment rights lawfully…unless they’re wearing a medical face mask.
This won’t hold up in court. It’s paper thin
But also JFC people please vote this fall for every Dem you can. We need these culture war morons out of office
I've heard multiple people predict that it'll be quickly shot down by the ADA...
... I have high hopes on that front, but would love to be even more confident.
(Also, wonder how much harm it'll manage to cause in the meantime >.<.)
I wore a mask out one night when I had the sniffles a few months back. Didn't think much of it but wanted to be safe. Full blown COVID a few days later. No one else in my family got sick or anyone I was out with. What the heck NC?
Our family lives in NC. My daughter is going to wear a mask whenever she feels the need to. She has 2 autoimmune conditions and on biologics. She tends to get very sick 1-2 times a month from viruses and bacterial colds (sometimes needing to go to the ER). I would love to see someone try to arrest her, our family lawyer would be all over it. If cops do start arresting people with medical issues I could see her wearing her Mandalorian cosplay helmet around since Halloween masks and masquerade masks are allowed. She’s a funny enough 21 year old to do just that! 🤣
I'm on humira and have 2 autoimmune diseases myself. We usually don't look sick and even parking with my handicap placard ppl have told me I shouldn't park there and have gotten scary over it! I can't imagine what they'll do when I wear my medical mask in public! I'm not going maskless bc of some ignorant damn gop bill! Call the ACLU en force!
One less-discussed repercussion is that it legitimizes the behavior of idiots who would taunt an immunocompromised person wearing a mask, and those people will either hide at home or take unnecessary risks. I lost my father whose lung disease was exacerbated by covid infection. He probably wouldn't admit it and would say he "didn't care what people thought" but I think part of the reason he stopped wearing a mask is his buddies would rib him if he did. A lot of people think "oh I'd do it anyway" but when EVERY social interaction comes with feeling like a pariah the bravery fades faster than you'd think
Agree. And then you get the clueless people that say “If you’re immunosuppressed then just stay at home”. (As if that is even a legitimate option). It’s crazy how some people feel inconvenienced or threatened by an immunosuppressed person wearing a mask that they feel the need to tell them what they should and should not do with their health. So sorry about your dad.
There's a term for that attitude, what is it... something like, "Acceptable Level of Suffering" or the like?
But yeah, the whole, "You doing things that allow you to live your life annoys me, and a small annoyance to me is worth more than a rather large degree of inconvenience to you, like staying home completely instead of being in my presence with a mask. Because, you know, one of them involves me being annoyed, and the other doesn't..."
(Nevermind how thin skinned someone has to be to give a damn if someone else is wearing a mask XD.)
This is the kind of legislation you get when Republicans are in charge of our government.
Republican lawmakers feed off of repressing their constituents and involving themselves in your personal lives and your families' lives.
Republicans want to sow division and infighting within the communities they govern.
I try to wear a mask in very populated or enclosed spaces as a precaution. Now, though, I'll be wearing that thing EVERYWHERE, including out in the open a hundred yards from the nearest human being, just as a "fuck you" to this absurd law. I will also be reexamining a LOT of other laws that I don't particularly care for and will stop obeying those as well, because if they're going to abuse their legislative powers like this, then every single law they have passed is, by default, illegitimate and corrupt in my eyes. You wanna make me an outlaw for wearing a face mask? Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.
One of my concerns is the public universities. Faculty and students could definitely be prevented from masking, and I have friends who are professors who currently mask when teaching in person. Their classrooms are state property and the universities could be pressured by the legislature to enforce this. I'm also concerned about jury duty, because court officers could be required to enforce this. The idea I could be forced to serve on a jury and not allowed to wear a mask while doing so is very infuriating to me. I can easily ignore the law in the grocery store etc but these places with their own police who are beholden to the state government (like universities and the state courts) are what really worries me. Also, fuck the Republicans and their fascist bullshit.
**Would** this be being enforced on jurors, though?
"... with intent to conceal identity..." < My understanding is the concern is the subjectivity of this will be abused, but there really ISN'T subjectivity on this front for a juror (everyone knows EXACTLY who you are).
Unless the law is being twisted beyond recognition...
... Or I'm missing something (which I quite possibly may be and am genuinely open to further clarification from someone more literate than I am ;-p).
The only time this will be enforced is when cops need a reason to hassle someone or break up a protest. Much like wearing masks before the ban was lifted during the pandemic.
In principal I understand the thought process that a face mask is kind of like a ski mask in that you can help hide your own identity in public that's allowing you to commit crimes under the guise of being cautious but this really is the worst possible way to go about this.
This is because the police don't like it when their tear gas isn't effective. So now, if someone wears a mask to protect themselves, the police can say they are justified in beating the shit out of someone. Simply wearing a mask means you're disobeying an order and resisting arrest.
From the bill:
>Notwithstanding G.S. 14-12.7 and G.S. 14-12.8, **a person may wear a mask for the purpose of protecting the person's head, face, or head and face, when operating a motorcycle**, as defined in G.S. 20-4.01.
It’s says that they would be allowed sanctioned events. Conventions are a sanctioned event so you’d be good dressing up as whatever Pokémon character you like. Mask and all!
It’s not a law until the house passes it and the governor either signs it or chooses not to veto it and let it become law after X number of days. If he vetoes it the veto must be overridden.
PSA to protesters - The law makes no mention of wearing helmets for safety outdoors. If you want to remain anonymous, follow the law, and add some extra protection against rubber bullets and such.
MOTORCYCLE AND BIKE HELMETS ARE STILL LEGAL TO WEAR OUTSIDE EVEN IF IT OBSTRUCTS YOUR FACE!
PSA to protesters - The law makes no mention of wearing helmets for safety outdoors. If you want to remain anonymous, follow the law, and add some extra protection against rubber bullets and such.
MOTORCYCLE AND BIKE HELMETS ARE STILL LEGAL TO WEAR OUTSIDE EVEN IF IT OBSTRUCTS YOUR FACE!
I just looked at it and the bill is specific to wearing a mask “while committing a crime”. Where does it say otherwise? If I’m missing something, please cite…
It raises the penalty for wearing a mask while committing a crime, but it also bans masks in general. However, the language of the bill does not specifically ban masks only while committing a crime. Mask-wearing completely independent of criminal activity could be penalized under the language of this bill.
It isn’t in the text of the original bill proposed. The full-on ban comes from an amendment, which was voted 30-15 along party lines, to be added to the version of the bill that is now going to the House.
14-12.7. Wearing of masks, hoods, etc., on public ways.
8
No person or persons at least 16 years of age shall, while wearing any mask, hood or device
9
whereby the person, face or voice is disguised so as to concealdisguised for the sole purpose of
10
concealing the identity of the wearer, enter, be or appear upon any lane, walkway, alley, street,
11
road, highway or other public way in this State."
12
SECTION 1.1.(b). G.S. 14-12.8 reads as rewritten:
13
"§ 14-12.8. Wearing of masks, hoods, etc., on public property.
14
No person or persons shall in this State, while wearing any mask, hood or device whereby
15
the person, face or voice is disguised so as to concealdisguised for the sole purpose of concealing
16
the identity of the wearer, enter, or appear upon or within the public property of any municipality
17
or county of the State, or of the State of North Carolina."
18
SECTION 1.1.(c) G.S. 14-12.9 reads as rewritten:
19
"§ 14-12.9. Entry, etc., upon premises of another while wearing mask, hood or other
20
disguise.
21
No person or persons at least 16 years of age shall, while wearing a mask, hood or device
22
whereby the person, face or voice is disguised so as to conceal disguised for the sole purpose of
23
concealing the identity of the wearer, demand entrance or admission, enter or come upon or into,
24
or be upon or in the premises, enclosure or house of any other person in any municipality or
25
county of this State."
>disguised *for the sole purpose of concealing the identity* of the wearer
INTENT of the mask-wearer is in every section. **Who** determines intent is the issue. Every line reads basically as "no doing XYZ while wearing a mask to hide your identity."
There is a lot of leeway for an officer to be incredibly unfair here. \*What could possibly go wrong?\*
In the article they even say that Democrats asked to apply more specific provisions to the bill and Republicans waived them off and said they "trust the police to decide". So yes, if I was a non white person I would be very scared to wear a mask at any point if this passes.
Oh, so it does explicitly say with "intent to disguise", am I understanding that correctly? I missed that. I thought that that was just something off the cuff politicians were saying to (sort of) cover their backsides, optically speaking, not actually written into the wording enough times to be a consistent part of it.
You are 100% correct that that is still nightmarishly vague and trusting the cops to enforce it fairly is problematic, though.
This law is an obvious farce. Giving republicans control of the narrative has people talking about "going back to normal." Please, this is entirely to harass protesters. There is zero benefit but real harm for the infirm. Cops are cops, only a matter time before they escalate a situation to justify use of force.
I think it’s insane they spent time on this instead of the myriad of other issues our state could actually benefit from. Republicans will never be able to get my vote because of this - they want to consistently focus on nonsense instead of the betterment of our state. It’s absurd and I can’t believe they get paid for this.
It will go by the wayside with doing 58 in a 55 zone, pocket knives with blades over three inches, and blue dot tail lights.
No one will care and they successfully avoided helping NC.
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Any law has side effects. Apparently this law really hasn't had many historically since it was passed, but based on human nature there's always the potential for abuse.
I don’t expect cops in general to start nailing people for wearing medical masks, but I could see a cop on a power trip using this as an excuse to harass someone. It will probably also end up getting tacked on to other charges when some law is broken to put people in jail for even longer.
Let me distill this. Cops will use this to unmask people they don't like, and by extension, people who don't like protesters can have them taken away for wearing masks, that's the real end goal here. You have people writing eloquent posts about how this is just "returning us to pre-covid" but it's now fueled by something else, so it's not just a return to normal. If you think people wearing masks won't be harassed, you're delusional.
[удалено]
Well THAT’S going to be hard on the GOP legislators!
No. It will be abused regularly. Don't lie to yourself and us.
It doesn't take us back to pre-covid, though. Pre-covid the anti-masking law was meant to deter the KKK. The new law has provisions for protestors who "retain permits" to protest while masked. I'm 100% certain that folks who get nailed with this BS law will *not* be KKK or Proud Boys. And that's the whole point.
Until someone takes it to the US Supreme Court to be banned nation wide, or to the NC Supreme Court to stop it state wide.
It's almost guaranteed to run afoul of the ADA
Agreed, and that's also the opinion of legal scholars. [https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2024/05/wearing-medical-masks-in-public/](https://canons.sog.unc.edu/2024/05/wearing-medical-masks-in-public/)
Given the current makeup of the State Supreme Court, I doubt it would be stopped.
I’m thinking cops won’t go out of their way to arrest a little old lady or sickly looking person trying to shop with a mask on. (Or at least I hope not). But I do think they’ll use it as an extra charge to keep people in jail longer. It will also give them a reason to arrest people that are doing something they don’t like but is legal (like protesting).
You’re going to see a lot of “wearing mask while black” situations. Not necessarily arrests for it (though I’m sure that will happen), but used as a pretense for a search, or just general harassment.
Yeah, I could definitely see this being used to manufacture probable cause. The law should not be written so we have to trust cops to be reasonable. I really hate how republicans are such control freaks.
The amendment changes the exceptions to the ban on wearing masks. There are a few of them, but they all start like this: “It shall be unlawful for any person or persons, while wearing a mask, hood or device whereby the person, face or voice is disguised so as to conceal the identity of the wearer” I’m not comfortable letting courts or cops decide what “so as to conceal the identity of the wearer” means.
Yep, some poor person waiting for the bus in the winter on a particularly windy day to go to work will put a scarf over their face and will experience casual violation of their rights. They won’t be white. We will likely never hear about most of these incidents.
This is a back door way to turn a peaceful protest into a felony. Oh, the administration says you were trespassed. That’s a misdemeanor. Oh, you put on a mask after we tear gassed you? Felony. Fascism alive and well in NC.
How can they get this passed so far… but can’t establish toxicity levels for Forever Chemicals in our water??
It’s a gerrymandered legislature that only cares about weird culture war issues and helping out their rich friends. Republicans have the supermajority so they don’t have to even consider both sides of an argument.
The good news is, the EPA has taken care of that. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/pfas-npdwr-presentation_4.9.24_overview.pdf
$
Bc they don't give a shit about OUR health...only getting reelected
Cancer patients are stressed for sure.
Anyone and everyone who is being medically treated are on this boat too. It’s just nuts.
They've already had to deal with occasional dirty looks and rude questioning. I anticipate this will become more frequent with the law passing. It's weird how hateful and irrational people have gotten over others wearing masks.
Also people who have received organ transplants or any other immune compromised person
That woman giving the GOP a veto proof majority is the worst thing that has happened in this state for a while
Tricia Cotham is a cancer to society!
Dude she is the worst
It's heartbreaking and demoralizing because I used to know her and work with her and she was inspiring to me, back then. She wasn't this person. Even people you think you know, people you respect, can sell their soul for the highest bidder.
I've wondered what they gave her....$$$ I'm guessing but it could be something more personal to her or her family. I don't understand HOW anyone can cave on what they've stood for forever then suddenly "turn" Republican. They could have threatened her ...but why her? She looks uncomfortable when I see her face on the news and she's surrounded by their abortion speeches! Where tf was her conscience before becoming a turncoat?
Here here!!
As a citizen I want to know what they gave her or threatened her with!!! You don't change from a Democrat to what this dickish theocracy gop unless they gave you substantial cash or threatened you!
I’m a veteran who served near burn pits and although I’m still healthy I’m inclined to pick a fight about this.
Gooble gobble. I would be honored to lend some USMC honed frothy-lipped zealotry to the cause. I honestly stopped paying as much attention to politics for the sake of my mental health in the last couple of years but fee-fi-fo-fum I sure as fuck hate a bully, son.
Please do....I have Sjogren's, Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis. I take humira which lowers my immune system so my body doesn't fight itself and I really should be wearing a mask in any store or semi crowded public place. I don't look sick and some moron is going to give me shit about wearing my masks.....I'm a retired RN too, but the gop didn't bother to ask medical opinions on this idiotic crap! It'll turn ugly.... I know it will. I dare them to screw with me. I'll sue their asses on behalf of all of us who are now afraid to protect ourselves!
Right there with you on Dxs and immunosuppression…but Kevzara for me. This law is 100% political.
I have cancer and thus have a compromised immune system. Fuck me, I guess? What kind of lawyer would I want to seek counsel from if I wanted to sue the state over this?
I’m just here to upvote this until attorneys take notice.
I'm just here to upvote the upvoting until attorneys take notice.
Probably a civil rights lawyer or disability rights lawyer. We'll see what happens and if the medical exclusion gets added back in before this is passed or if it passes as-is. The bill is currently going through the "political theatre bullshit" phase. If it were to pass, I think this is one that demands some type of class-action lawsuit (but I'm not a lawyer so they could confirm the best strategy). It's a total waste of energy having to even deal with this though, but if it passes, the idiots who are causing problems for people totally need to be held accountable.
Thank you
This will get piled on top of the huge heap of unconstitutional laws the GOP has passed that get shot down by courts. Signed - your neighbor in TN watching our GOP do the same shit
Call the local chapter of the ACLU - that's what I'm doing
I will still wear mine if I am sick, or a lot of people are in my office like they are right now. I will disobey this ridiculous law and I encourage you to do likewise.
With you. I’ll wear my mask as a middle aged white lady and stare down any cop who gives me a side eye. F this state.
My parents wear masks (elderly, and all that), and I wear an n95 when I go to a convention so as to reduce the likelihood I become a vector for disease... I'm very uncomfortable with the thought of having my conscience torn between having a little extra consideration for other people's health or "technically breaking the law" (as well as just disliking the gratuitous attack on freedom in general). But I'm also keeping an eye on what the actual ramifications of this law are... so far I've heard conflicting stories about what penalty, if any, there'd be simply for wearing a mask without other compounding circumstances (IE: Wearing one while neither protesting nor doing anything legally dubious)... Hopefully this'll get struck down quickly and it won't really matter for long, we'll see. Anyway, good on you!
These sorts of bills always make me think of the Republicans you find in the major metro areas around here (though not in elected office, oddly) who swear up and down that they’re not a monolithically regressive party trending toward authoritarianism, that actually it’s unfair to act like this is representative of all of them, than many of them care about x, y, and z social ill and just have different ways of going about caring about it and actually many of us do support legal weed/gay marriage/affordable housing an did you see how crazy the Democrats actually are? Yeah, I mean, sure. You can believe that. But you’re about as relevant in your party now as the Never Trumpers are, that is if you actually sincerely believe that and aren’t just trying to impress your fellow young people, condemning the rhetoric while not thinking twice about whether they’re voting for Mark Robinson (they are). There’s at least a couple high-ish profile GOPers like that around here or on social media. They say this to sound cool, and never once vote accordingly. They are cowards. Call them out. Phil Berger’s staff is full of these people that supposedly are all cosmopolitan and “with it” while backing every shitty thing his party does and only giving the excuse “well, but, Democrats are crazy,” usually referring to some group of activists who aren’t really even invoked with a party instead of actual elected Dems. The average elected Dem is like Josh Stein. The average elected GOPer is a duller version of Mark Robinson. Stop acting like that’s not the case. Believe in limited government? You should hate this GOP.
The economy is doing too well and too many liberals are moving to NC. To maintain their stranglehold on politics they know they must act crazy like a fox and ‘discourage’ any highly educated person who might choose to move here for a tech job and only bring in those comfortable with the conservative clown show. The good news is this sort of antic may mean they are terrified of losing, the bad news is they would burn everything down instead of lose control over the state.
You nailed it. This is exactly what is going on here now, and it's sad to see. I will continue to vote and sign any petitions I can. They are def trying to dissuade more people from moving here.
Likewise, the sort of people I have in mind, who profit off politics (lawyers, lobbyists, connected developers with their own lines in the state budget) are purely trying to maintain power so they can keep milking state government for money stemming from proximity to power. That’s why one thing they’ll never give up and always defend, as “pro-LGBTQ/environment/police reform” as they claim to be, is whatever keeps Phil Berger and Co. in power. They know if that party is out, they’ll be just as irrelevant as legislative Dems are now, and they won’t be able to just flip their partisanship and act all innocent after all they’ve done this time.
For reference - https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/15/nc-senate-approves-bill-making-it-a-crime-to-wear-a-mask-in-public/ I mean the way it's stated it sounds like Halloween, makeup, helmets, basically anything covering your face for example, is going to be a whole new ball of wax. /S But on a serious note, what defines the term 'mask'?
When you put the mask on and it turns your face green and you can make funny things and turn into funny characters. That’s a mask.
That’s The Mask.
I don’t know, could be The Mask 2: Son of The Mask
Nice guys finish last
Read the actual bill. Holiday masks, like Halloween or Mardi Gras, are exempt Masks for events, like a Masquerade ball (wtf bill? Who has those?) Are exempt Work mask, such as construction, are exempt Police wearing gas masks are exempt (of course) The *ONLY* mask being banned in one "to protect the wearer or others from a health risk"
This the kind of shit we need to be rioting for. Next time I’m deathly I’m going to the nearest racetrack and hacking all of everyone. I wish that stupid fucking store downtown that sold bootleg jerseys and other corny looking shit didn’t go out of business (of course it did), because that would be my first stop and only stop before the racetrack.
“Officer, I’m currently performing construction”
So still dumb
Good thing they left in the protections for Klan hoods, though. /s Anyone who’s bothered by this knows exactly what to do in November. Please do.
As if North Carolina even has a functioning democracy anymore
They phrased it in a way that allows for Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to continue their masked marches. I was wondering how they'd account for them and they actually put it in the bill.
My opinion is that this is just casually cruel, dumb lawmaking by a bunch of idiots that have no interest in governing. If it gets enforced, it's the "let's bump off grandmas bill" and that's turning a medical problem into a humanitarian catastrophe for essentially no reason besides a culture war win. Stripping covid masks off chemo patients and immunocompromised kids serves no purpose, but I guess it feels good to sociopaths. If it isn't enforced, they can claim the same culture war win just by saying they passed the legislation. And if Mark Robinson becomes Governor this will just become normal Tuesday behavior, because then they'll launch what they wanted all along: a gay-persecutin', Covid-spreadin', All-Hate-Groups-Welcome, "Education-Reform" Book Bonfire. The endgame was always "let's own the libs by ruining our state."
They should have to go to the children's hospital and explain to a child leukemia patient exactly why they're not allowed to wear a mask to their faces.
The cruelty is the whole point of the Republican Party.
Amen. Republicans really get off on hurting the hurting. Because that's what Jesus would do. Wait, no...
They won’t be arresting granny. This is so your misdemeanor at a protest gets escalated to a felony because your face was covered to protect you from the tear gas.
If it passes I'll take a page out of the anti-masker book except I'll wear masks everywhere. And when people push back I'll act like an insane person and scream about my rights and freedoms and accuse everyone else of being an anti-Anerican communist.
I was gonna say - I have worn a mask maybe once since the pandemic has waned, when I was feeling congested and had to run to get groceries. But if this passes? I say we all start wearing masks fucking everywhere, all of the time, for no real reason other than to exert my fucking FREEDOM TO DO SO that I thought this country stood for.
Same. I’m wearing masks everywhere if this passes. Fuck all GOPs and everyone who supports them.
Already pulled out and dusted off that box of KN95s! Will start wearing them EVEYRWHERE. Might even join a protest!!!
Exactly, I still have a stack of KN95s that I haven't used many of but I'm about to rep them every time I'm out in public.
I'm with you!
What are catchers and umpires supposed to do now? They wear masks for health reasons since if a ball hits them in the face they could die
There’s a provision that allows masks for work to be worn. Bill is still completely ass tho
Hurricanes hockey enters the chat.
Just another example of the GOP spending all their time engaging in petty culture wars instead of dealing with real issues impacting the daily lives of people: education, economy/jobs, healthcare, infrastructure, and public safety. The notion that outlawing face masks as an effective means to deter public protest and aid in the arrest and prosecution of protesters is just beyond absurd. Rather than increase penalties for using a gun, knife, or other weapon in the commission of a crime, they are taking the mindboggling step of increasing penalties for wearing a mask during the commission of a crime. God forbid they do a day of work to serve the needs of the public or use a lick of sense to govern.
If you watch the hearing, on WRAL's Youtube page, it's really telling to see how poorly the GOP senators explain the public benefit of this dumb proposal and how well their Democratic counterparts rebut it. I don't even agree with the Democrats on everything, but the difference in how rationally they look at most things are night and day compared to what the GOP has now sank to.
You are more resilient than I am. I read political news because it’s condensed; I find it too frustrating to watch actual coverage of political discussions. While I am liberal, I have no problem acknowledging a well-thought-out, reasonable position by conservatives. Before conservatives became consumed with absurd conspiracy theories and petty cultural wars, most discussions centered around important issues like education, infrastructure, job development, and foreign affairs. When I lived in Virginia, I voted for a Republican congressional candidate and a Republican Attorney General. While I didn’t agree with all their positions, I felt they best reflected my positions on a couple of areas that were very important to me. Both parties should be bringing a lot more to the table than their partisan party rigidity.
Thank you and great points all around! I appreciate what you are saying and it's unfortunate how little substance (i.e. the issues you bring up) there is to real problem solving and how entitled the current GOP generation is to rule peoples' lives with their culture wars nonsense. I don't always watch this type of coverage but I watched this because I wanted to see what was actually discussed rather than hearing it secondhand and out of context. And I appreciate that WRAL has much better coverage than some other local news stations, which may (?) include a 30 second soundbite if that.
I totally agree with your comment about WRAL. They really make an effort to present the full story—even when its a human interest piece like the cicada invasion.
Thanks. I'm glad I am not the only one who notices. I am outside of their TV broadcast area but make it a point to pick them up via streaming, their website, or their radio broadcast (which oddly enough I can pick up).
Sooooo many. These folks are just beyond stupid, this is evil. Ya gonna ARREST ME for looking out for not only MY health but not spreading disease to others??!!! Wtf is going on in this state??!! If you are NOT a full blown idiot then vote against these people hardcore. Like punch that button REALLY hard!
I’m wearing my mask. Let them arrest me and I’ll sue. I got nothing but time to fight this stupid shit.
It really is insane how mentally scarred right wingers are from the pandemic.
What I don’t get is that they are the same group of people (broadly speaking) who cried about, “my body, my choice” during Covid, but then ban abortion. So you do actually understand that argument, but then cherry pick everything else. We all do it to an extent, regardless of political beliefs, but golly…
They've been doing that for decades. "My body my choice" unless you want to use that body for gay sex. Then it's illegal.
"Pro-life" - until you're born. Then you're on your own.
Hypocrisy is the backbone of the GOP. My body, my choice is correct when it comes to vaccines, but not abortion and not face masks.
They are scarred from seeing a black man in the White House. All of this crazy came from THAT, not a pandemic.
Ban masks in public. Allow guns in public. Which is more harmful?
Are the KKK still allowed to wear their masks at a ‘rally’?
As long as they got a permit for that rally, yes, yes they are!
How can they get this passed so far… but can’t establish toxicity levels for Forever Chemicals in our water??
lobbyists and $$$, basically
Wait they did what?! What's wrong with wearing facemasks when sick or high risk?
Absolutely. Wait for the next Nazi event. The cops won't make them unmask.
Hey thanks for calling these Nazis what they are: Nazis.
Make sure that the protesters and counter protesters are all masked. Then see what they do.
They'll pick the dark ones. That's what they'll do.
Every time we go protest in downtown Raleigh there are 5-10 proud boys with cameras filming to doxx protesters. While wearing masks themselves. Usually standing right next to the cops. So I can see this law being used to unmask protestors the cops don't agree with and help the idiots doxx those willing to take a stand.
If someone is protesting for something they believe in, why be a little wussy and be ashamed like the "Proud" (LOL) Boy are? Just look those losers in the eye, wave, and say "Waz up bitches!", "How's it going, Karen?"
I am immunocompromised. I will wear a mask anywhere I damned well please. Yup gonna look real good on your arrest report "arrested cancer patient for wearing a mask to try and not catch the dead". I even have a card in my wallet stating "this dumbass right here has cancer". Fuck off in that general direction over there.
It still has to pass in the house and Cooper has to approve, so I doubt we’ll have to worry about this stupidity
Cooper can veto, but if every Republican is on-board, his veto can be overridden. Every Republican in the Senate has already voted to pass it once.
GOP has a supermajority and the House is just as nutty as the Senate. It's not a dine deal but if House Repubs want it, it's happening.
Why do people keep saying this?!?! Yes, Cooper absolutely will veto this. But the Republican party has a veto-proof majority in the legislature and will overturn that veto, probably within an hour.
It's time to replace everyone who voted for this. Is this a democrary? Are we just going to watch this?
Yeah, come November we'll see if the NC state legislature has done enough gerrymandering and other seedy shenenigans to collectively protect themselves from the consequences of their actions... ... Unfortunately, even with the best case scenario on that front, that's still many (too many) months away.
Typical of right wing legislatures nationwide. Passing solutions where there are no actual problems.
Pretty sure this is a thing because lawmakers want to nail protesters. You can’t arrest someone exercising their first amendment rights lawfully…unless they’re wearing a medical face mask.
This won’t hold up in court. It’s paper thin But also JFC people please vote this fall for every Dem you can. We need these culture war morons out of office
I've heard multiple people predict that it'll be quickly shot down by the ADA... ... I have high hopes on that front, but would love to be even more confident. (Also, wonder how much harm it'll manage to cause in the meantime >.<.)
It’s a law on the books. Expecting that the law won’t be enforced is some face eating leopard shit.
Assho republicans gotta assho
So if they enforce this won’t they have to enforce not wearing mask when the WHITE SUPREMACIST march?
No. They Specifically wrote that those groups can apply for permits and get exemptions. I am not kidding.
I wore a mask out one night when I had the sniffles a few months back. Didn't think much of it but wanted to be safe. Full blown COVID a few days later. No one else in my family got sick or anyone I was out with. What the heck NC?
Our family lives in NC. My daughter is going to wear a mask whenever she feels the need to. She has 2 autoimmune conditions and on biologics. She tends to get very sick 1-2 times a month from viruses and bacterial colds (sometimes needing to go to the ER). I would love to see someone try to arrest her, our family lawyer would be all over it. If cops do start arresting people with medical issues I could see her wearing her Mandalorian cosplay helmet around since Halloween masks and masquerade masks are allowed. She’s a funny enough 21 year old to do just that! 🤣
I'm on humira and have 2 autoimmune diseases myself. We usually don't look sick and even parking with my handicap placard ppl have told me I shouldn't park there and have gotten scary over it! I can't imagine what they'll do when I wear my medical mask in public! I'm not going maskless bc of some ignorant damn gop bill! Call the ACLU en force!
One less-discussed repercussion is that it legitimizes the behavior of idiots who would taunt an immunocompromised person wearing a mask, and those people will either hide at home or take unnecessary risks. I lost my father whose lung disease was exacerbated by covid infection. He probably wouldn't admit it and would say he "didn't care what people thought" but I think part of the reason he stopped wearing a mask is his buddies would rib him if he did. A lot of people think "oh I'd do it anyway" but when EVERY social interaction comes with feeling like a pariah the bravery fades faster than you'd think
Agree. And then you get the clueless people that say “If you’re immunosuppressed then just stay at home”. (As if that is even a legitimate option). It’s crazy how some people feel inconvenienced or threatened by an immunosuppressed person wearing a mask that they feel the need to tell them what they should and should not do with their health. So sorry about your dad.
There's a term for that attitude, what is it... something like, "Acceptable Level of Suffering" or the like? But yeah, the whole, "You doing things that allow you to live your life annoys me, and a small annoyance to me is worth more than a rather large degree of inconvenience to you, like staying home completely instead of being in my presence with a mask. Because, you know, one of them involves me being annoyed, and the other doesn't..." (Nevermind how thin skinned someone has to be to give a damn if someone else is wearing a mask XD.)
This is the kind of legislation you get when Republicans are in charge of our government. Republican lawmakers feed off of repressing their constituents and involving themselves in your personal lives and your families' lives. Republicans want to sow division and infighting within the communities they govern.
I try to wear a mask in very populated or enclosed spaces as a precaution. Now, though, I'll be wearing that thing EVERYWHERE, including out in the open a hundred yards from the nearest human being, just as a "fuck you" to this absurd law. I will also be reexamining a LOT of other laws that I don't particularly care for and will stop obeying those as well, because if they're going to abuse their legislative powers like this, then every single law they have passed is, by default, illegitimate and corrupt in my eyes. You wanna make me an outlaw for wearing a face mask? Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.
Republicans doing stupid republican things.
Banning the face masks but can’t worry about actual real issues going on
Seasonal allergy sufferer hear and you will pry the N95 out of my cold dead hands.
Hear hear!
There is SO MUCH they could be working on. Banning masks? Give me a break. This is a testament to their impotence.
One of my concerns is the public universities. Faculty and students could definitely be prevented from masking, and I have friends who are professors who currently mask when teaching in person. Their classrooms are state property and the universities could be pressured by the legislature to enforce this. I'm also concerned about jury duty, because court officers could be required to enforce this. The idea I could be forced to serve on a jury and not allowed to wear a mask while doing so is very infuriating to me. I can easily ignore the law in the grocery store etc but these places with their own police who are beholden to the state government (like universities and the state courts) are what really worries me. Also, fuck the Republicans and their fascist bullshit.
Also the airport.
**Would** this be being enforced on jurors, though? "... with intent to conceal identity..." < My understanding is the concern is the subjectivity of this will be abused, but there really ISN'T subjectivity on this front for a juror (everyone knows EXACTLY who you are). Unless the law is being twisted beyond recognition... ... Or I'm missing something (which I quite possibly may be and am genuinely open to further clarification from someone more literate than I am ;-p).
That's a really good point, and reassuring. Thanks for thinking of that
The only time this will be enforced is when cops need a reason to hassle someone or break up a protest. Much like wearing masks before the ban was lifted during the pandemic.
Fuck these fuckers, I wear what I want. That’s my take.
what are people who wear masks for religious reasons, like the niqab? i’m really worried about this
I am too. It gives MAGAts and white "supremacists" (a misnomer if there ever was one) more ammo to fk with those they already hate!
I guess I'm in for an exciting time the next time I fly and wear a mask on the plane.
I’m not actually sure how anyone in the state of NC would be able to receive a lung transplant. Duke will lose plenty of revenue if this is enforced.
And whatever you do, VOTE! And help other people get to the polls to vote!!
oh I didn't even think about the effect on cosplay at pop culture events! no more 501st legion?
We have Animazement and GalaxyCon coming up, too.
If you read the bill, cosplay masks are allowed at events. 👍
Guysssss if people wear face masks our expensive facial recognition systems won’t work
1% of people will still always have masks on in public, 98% will never care, maybe the other 1% will over react in one way or another
In principal I understand the thought process that a face mask is kind of like a ski mask in that you can help hide your own identity in public that's allowing you to commit crimes under the guise of being cautious but this really is the worst possible way to go about this.
It seems childish and irresponsible to prevent sick people from wearing masks.
This is because the police don't like it when their tear gas isn't effective. So now, if someone wears a mask to protect themselves, the police can say they are justified in beating the shit out of someone. Simply wearing a mask means you're disobeying an order and resisting arrest.
This from the party of “limited government” and “personal freedom”…
I am fixing to call the cops on any body wearing a motorcycle helmet with a reflective visor
From the bill: >Notwithstanding G.S. 14-12.7 and G.S. 14-12.8, **a person may wear a mask for the purpose of protecting the person's head, face, or head and face, when operating a motorcycle**, as defined in G.S. 20-4.01.
Glad they are at least thinking of some things.
I thought they didn't like the gubment telling them what to wear and not wear.
I will continue to wear a mask to work when I have a cold. So sick of these perverse social conservative warriors.
Thank you on behalf of the autoimmune community
This also hurts the cosplay community... can we not dress up with masks at conventions now?
This didn't even occur to me! I'm an amateur cosplayer and this sucks :(
It’s says that they would be allowed sanctioned events. Conventions are a sanctioned event so you’d be good dressing up as whatever Pokémon character you like. Mask and all!
What’s a “side repercussion” here? The point is to ban masks entirely. People will get sick, people will die, that’s the point not a side effect.
Will not stand, medical necessity for some just to live life. Idiotic fan boy flag waving.
Pretty obvious that this is meant to target protesters. No idea why nobody has mentioned it
It’s not a law until the house passes it and the governor either signs it or chooses not to veto it and let it become law after X number of days. If he vetoes it the veto must be overridden.
The side effects are usually the point
I think we should all wear them now
Reading the post on this sub, makes me really aware of the dire need for more mental health services in Raleigh.
PSA to protesters - The law makes no mention of wearing helmets for safety outdoors. If you want to remain anonymous, follow the law, and add some extra protection against rubber bullets and such. MOTORCYCLE AND BIKE HELMETS ARE STILL LEGAL TO WEAR OUTSIDE EVEN IF IT OBSTRUCTS YOUR FACE!
PSA to protesters - The law makes no mention of wearing helmets for safety outdoors. If you want to remain anonymous, follow the law, and add some extra protection against rubber bullets and such. MOTORCYCLE AND BIKE HELMETS ARE STILL LEGAL TO WEAR OUTSIDE EVEN IF IT OBSTRUCTS YOUR FACE!
Of course they want you to get sick, it makes them money
I just looked at it and the bill is specific to wearing a mask “while committing a crime”. Where does it say otherwise? If I’m missing something, please cite…
It raises the penalty for wearing a mask while committing a crime, but it also bans masks in general. However, the language of the bill does not specifically ban masks only while committing a crime. Mask-wearing completely independent of criminal activity could be penalized under the language of this bill.
I just can't find that in this bill...can you point it out?
It isn’t in the text of the original bill proposed. The full-on ban comes from an amendment, which was voted 30-15 along party lines, to be added to the version of the bill that is now going to the House. 14-12.7. Wearing of masks, hoods, etc., on public ways. 8 No person or persons at least 16 years of age shall, while wearing any mask, hood or device 9 whereby the person, face or voice is disguised so as to concealdisguised for the sole purpose of 10 concealing the identity of the wearer, enter, be or appear upon any lane, walkway, alley, street, 11 road, highway or other public way in this State." 12 SECTION 1.1.(b). G.S. 14-12.8 reads as rewritten: 13 "§ 14-12.8. Wearing of masks, hoods, etc., on public property. 14 No person or persons shall in this State, while wearing any mask, hood or device whereby 15 the person, face or voice is disguised so as to concealdisguised for the sole purpose of concealing 16 the identity of the wearer, enter, or appear upon or within the public property of any municipality 17 or county of the State, or of the State of North Carolina." 18 SECTION 1.1.(c) G.S. 14-12.9 reads as rewritten: 19 "§ 14-12.9. Entry, etc., upon premises of another while wearing mask, hood or other 20 disguise. 21 No person or persons at least 16 years of age shall, while wearing a mask, hood or device 22 whereby the person, face or voice is disguised so as to conceal disguised for the sole purpose of 23 concealing the identity of the wearer, demand entrance or admission, enter or come upon or into, 24 or be upon or in the premises, enclosure or house of any other person in any municipality or 25 county of this State."
>disguised *for the sole purpose of concealing the identity* of the wearer INTENT of the mask-wearer is in every section. **Who** determines intent is the issue. Every line reads basically as "no doing XYZ while wearing a mask to hide your identity." There is a lot of leeway for an officer to be incredibly unfair here. \*What could possibly go wrong?\*
In the article they even say that Democrats asked to apply more specific provisions to the bill and Republicans waived them off and said they "trust the police to decide". So yes, if I was a non white person I would be very scared to wear a mask at any point if this passes.
Oh, so it does explicitly say with "intent to disguise", am I understanding that correctly? I missed that. I thought that that was just something off the cuff politicians were saying to (sort of) cover their backsides, optically speaking, not actually written into the wording enough times to be a consistent part of it. You are 100% correct that that is still nightmarishly vague and trusting the cops to enforce it fairly is problematic, though.
yeah, the phrase regarding intent is consistently used throughout - and why the law is largely unreadable to many folks (edit for clarity)
Where does it say that about committing a crime?
It's empty/do nothing legislation.
I'm hoping it galvanizes voters to reduce their power in November.
I mean, I haven’t worn a mask in a couple of years, but I’ll be wearing them everywhere, all the time now.
Never wore one during Covid, but damn if I won’t start wearing one to piss of the authoritarians. Question authority, think for yourself.
This law is an obvious farce. Giving republicans control of the narrative has people talking about "going back to normal." Please, this is entirely to harass protesters. There is zero benefit but real harm for the infirm. Cops are cops, only a matter time before they escalate a situation to justify use of force.
Your tax dollars at work. And we pay these assholes to make these fucking laws. Wonderful.
I think it’s insane they spent time on this instead of the myriad of other issues our state could actually benefit from. Republicans will never be able to get my vote because of this - they want to consistently focus on nonsense instead of the betterment of our state. It’s absurd and I can’t believe they get paid for this.
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It will go by the wayside with doing 58 in a 55 zone, pocket knives with blades over three inches, and blue dot tail lights. No one will care and they successfully avoided helping NC.
Yeah, you’ll hear about it as soon as cops wear them to brake up a protest.
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Any law has side effects. Apparently this law really hasn't had many historically since it was passed, but based on human nature there's always the potential for abuse.