New York police make first arrest under controversial mask ban

Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo, 18, faces charges including criminal weapons possession and wearing a mask in public, the Nassau County Police Department said on Tuesday. Castillo appeared in court for his arraignment on Monday, the department said. Nassau County enacted an ordinance last year banning any masks in public places that aren’t worn for health concerns or religious reasons. The law says masks worn in public places for other reasons are often a predicate to criminal activity.

So police arrested Castillo because he was wearing a mask? Officers arrested Castillo in Levittown, N.Y., on Sunday after receiving reports that a man was acting suspiciously. Officers discovered a 14-inch knife tucked into Castillo’s waistband, the NCPD said. Castillo allegedly refused to comply with officer commands during the arrest but was placed in custody without incident, the department added. Castillo was wearing a mask at the time of the arrest.

What does Castillo have to say? The Legal Aid Society of Nassau County confirmed to WORLD that it was representing Castillo. The mask ban under which police officers arrested Castillo was not passed by the New York State Legislature or proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, LASNC Attorney-in-Chief N. Scott Banks said. Furthermore, the law is facing a legal challenge and will likely be found unconstitutional, Banks added. The advocacy group Disability Rights New York earlier this month filed a legal challenge against the ordinance.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in the WORLD archives about the challenges to mask mandates years ago.