Creating a Disturbance at a Funeral, Burial or Memorial Service Outlawed in New York
New York Governor David A. Patterson has signed a bill into law amending Penal Law § 240.21 and Civil Rights Law § 79-making it a misdemeanor for a person to purposely create a disturbance at a funeral, burial or memorial service. It also empowers the attorney general and local prosecutors to apply for an injunction to stop any person or group from purposely creating a disturbance at a funeral, burial or memorial service in violation of Penal Law § 240.21. This new law was drafted and passed in response to a string of insensitive protests that have recently occurred at military funerals across the United States. Assemblyman Cusick and Senator Defranisco sponsored the bill. The Assembly bill number is A.2385. The Senate bill number is S.56-B. The new law is to take effect immediately.
