Camden County Commissioners Ban Ski Masks in Specific Locations

CAMDEN – The Camden County Commissioners recently adopted a resolution that bans people who intend to commit a crime or threaten another person from wearing a ski mask or a balaclava on county-owned property.

The resolution applies to areas such as New Camden Park, Pyne Poynt Park, Von Nieda Park, and Wiggins Waterfront Park and took effect immediately upon its passage on June 20, Daniel Keashen, a Camden County spokesperson, told TAPinto Camden.

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“We want to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe in those (and other county-owned) venues, and this resolution will help us do that,” Keashen told TAPinto Camden.

Violators face a $250 fine, according to the resolution.

Keashen was asked how someone seeing a person wearing a mask would know if that person intended to commit a crime.

Keashen responded, “This resolution does not identify medical masks or someone using a medical mask, the resolution is clear in what facial concealments are and what law enforcement will be trying to eliminate.”

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Jim Sullivan, ACLU NJ’s deputy policy director, disagreed. “There is no proof or evidence that wearing a ski mask or balaclava means a person is about to commit a crime,” he said. "Ski masks have become fashionable for many young people in the past three or four years, which (makes the resolution) extremely troubling because it is easy to see how it can be used as a reason to stop and search people who have done nothing wrong.”

Sullivan added that the resolution's wording “makes it nearly impossible to determine why a person is wearing a ski mask or balaclava. At best, this will be a meaningless law that will not be able to be enforced correctly. At worst, it will cause an increase in innocent people being stopped, searched and possibly detained.”

Vic Wiener, a staff attorney at the Juvenile Law Center, agreed with Sullivan’s assessment and added a few more concerns.

“Some may also have this idea of ‘It is just an accessory (and) it is not that big of a deal,’” Wiener said. “(But) when you are young and when you are a teenager, your social standing is a core part of your identity and following fashion trends (is part of) being able to fit in.”

The resolution was introduced by Camden County Commissioner Louis Cappelli Jr. on June 18. It states that the ban does not apply to people who do not intend to commit a crime or threaten another person and are wearing a ski mask or balaclava as part of a traditional holiday costume, for religious purposes, as part of a safety feature for performing one's job, a role in theatrical production, protection from winter weather or while “lawfully engaged” in activities related to freedom of speech.

Recent community events that spiraled into chaos, such as Pennsauken’s Summer Kick-Off and Gloucester Township Day, justify the commissioners’ resolution, according to Keashen.

“Both incidents, including ones that have occurred at beach towns and across the river in Philadelphia, all had individuals trying to conceal their identity through masks,” Keashen said.

Commissioners Cappelli, Edward T. McConnell, Jeffrey L. Nash, Melinda Kane, Al Dyer, and Virginia Betteridge voted to approve the resolution without comment at the June 20 commissioners’ meeting. Commissioner Jonathan L. Young Sr. was absent and could not vote.

Reached after the June 20 meeting, Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen said he supported the commissioners’ decision.

“Individuals that are walking around with ski masks on do not shed a good light on the community and do not shed a good light on the positive things that are happening in the community,” Carstarphen told TAPinto Camden during a city cleanup held July 10.

Carstarphen added he would talk to his administration about possibly adopting a similar ban across the city.

Wiener also said the $250 fine for violating the ban may not seem like a lot of money, but it could cause some who must pay it to forgo other purchases such as food or utility bills. Wiener continued that interactions between police and juveniles, “even if they go smoothly, can carry trauma, especially for young people who are growing up in heavily and overly policed neighborhoods.”

Sullivan and Wiener said representatives from their respective organizations will watch how the ban is enforced before deciding on their next steps.

Other governments that recently considered or adopted a facial coverings ban of some kinds include Philadelphia, Atlanta, the state of North Carolina and Nassau County, New York, according to previous news reports.

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