First teenager arrested in New York County over controversial mask ban

It wasn't long ago that covering your mouth with a mask was mandatory. However, in Nassau County, New York, a new law bans face masks – no, not the N-95 type.

The ban on face coverings, called the Mask Transparency Act, was supposedly passed because of “anti-Semitic incidents often perpetrated by masked people.” Today, concealing one's identity through a face covering is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. There are exceptions for religious and health reasons.

Videos from VICE

Now someone has been arrested because of this.

It started with a report of a suspicious person wandering around Long Island. When police arrived, they found 18-year-old Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo wearing a black ski mask. When they confronted him, they discovered a 14-inch knife, according to the Associated Press.

Castillo was charged with the misdemeanor of illegal possession of weapons and obstruction of public administration after refusing to obey officers' orders, as well as violating the face mask requirement.

According to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the first case brought under this new law really shows the purpose behind it. “The passage of this law gives police another tool to stop this dangerous criminal,” he said.

Scott Banks, the attorney representing Castillo, questioned whether police officers could use a mask as an excuse to harass anyone they want. “There is no basis to believe that wearing a face mask was intended to conceal identity or criminal behavior,” he wrote in an email. “And if that was the reason for the stop, I believe there is a basis to conclude that the stop was unlawful.”

Critics say it is a repeat of New York's stop-and-frisk policy of the 2000s, which will disproportionately affect different groups. They also question whether the privacy of people with disabilities will be respected: Disability Rights New York filed a lawsuit earlier this month.

In this case, it was ultimately someone walking around with a huge knife who then failed to cooperate with officers and was taken into custody. Whether or not the suspect had malicious intent remains to be seen.

This certainly won't be the last time this New York City mask ban appears in the news – it only went into effect two weeks ago.