LI Incidents Lead To New Law Prohibiting Hate Symbols On Public Property

The new legislation, signed on Tuesday, Nov. 2, prohibits any municipal corporation, including fire districts, volunteer fire departments, police departments, and school districts, from selling or displaying symbols of hate, according to an announcement from the state.

The state said symbols that are prohibited include, but are not limited to "symbols of White supremacy, neo-Nazi ideology, or the Confederate battle flag."

The legislation was introduced after incidents on Long Island in 2020. 

The first incident occurred in Suffolk County when a Confederate flag was displayed on one of the Brookhaven Fire Department's trucks during a parade.

Brookhaven Fire Chief Peter Di Pinto, Jr. issued an apology following the incident.

“The unauthorized action was done without the knowledge of our leadership team and is condemned in the strongest of terms,” DiPinto said in a letter to the community. “The strength of our community has always come from its diversity and our department has always sought to be inclusive.

The second incident occurred when a fire department in Nassau County displayed a Confederate flag in its window, the state said. 

Sen. Anna Kaplan said the flag was displayed at the Levittown Fire Department Station 3 in Bethpage.

The bill was created by Kaplan and Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages.

"You would think it was common sense that taxpayer-owned property couldn't be used as a platform for hate, but shockingly there was no law on the books saying so--until now," Sen. Anna Kaplan said in a statement. "Public property belongs to all of us, and this measure is critical to ensure that our public property isn't being used to promote hatred. 

"I'm grateful to Gov. Kathy Hochul for signing this measure into law and for her leadership to ensure that hate has no place in our State. I'm also thankful for my partnership with Assemblymember Michaelle Solages on this measure and others to our community safe from hatred."