4 ms·
Generally, the older the city, the more outdated and archaic laws they have on the books. Here are some interesting ones/quotes: > “They go back to the 1700s,”
by cronix 8y ago
Generally, the older the city, the more outdated and archaic laws they have on the books. Here are some interesting ones/quotes:
> “They go back to the 1700s,” he explained. “They were designed really to encourage and reinforce church attendance and they originally covered all sorts of behaviors . . . no playing games, no sports, no sex. Back in the day, George Washington almost got arrested for traveling on Sunday.”[1]
> “It’s easy to pass laws regulating people’s behavior,” he said. “It is very difficult to repeal those laws.”[1]
> A license must be purchased before hanging clothes on a clothesline[1]
> it is illegal to walk around on Sunday with an ice cream in your pocket.[2]
> it is illegal to have two or more people gather together in public while each wearing any sort of disguise or mask[2]
> A man cannot go in public wearing non-matching pants and jacket.[2]
> it's illegal to wear your slippers after 10pm[2]
> While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door[2]
[1] https://nypost.com/2016/06/19/new-york-citys-most-ridiculous-laws/ https://nypost.com/2016/06/19/new-york-citys-most-ridiculous...
[2] http://981thehawk.com/10-completely-bizarre-new-york-state-laws/ http://981thehawk.com/10-completely-bizarre-new-york-state-l...
- jcranmer 8y agoAre those laws actually on the books? Searching the laws of New York, I've been unable to actually find any of these supposed laws, and nearly everytime this comes up, the only citation for these laws still existing is other lists of crazy/insane/weird laws, with no one actually giving a specific reference to the law. Edit: Actually, I did find a reference for one of the saner "weird laws": PEN § 240.35 paragraph 4 does define "Being masked or in any manner disguised by unusual or unnatural attire or facial alteration, loiters, remains or congregates in a public place with other persons so masked or disguised, or knowingly permits or aids persons so masked or disguised to congregate in a public place; except that such conduct is not unlawful when it occurs in connection with a masquerade party or like entertainment if, when such entertainment is held in a city which has promulgated regulations in connection with such affairs, permission is first obtained from the police or other appropriate authorities" as loitering.
- slededit 8y agoWith the advent of regulatory law the legal codes are no longer the full story. It’s quite possible they are decisions of a regulatory body which will not show up in statute.
- jcranmer 8y agoEven if it's supposed to be a regulation (which, given the claim that these are really old laws still on the books, is unlikely), regulations are still public, citable documents that are relatively easy to track down.
- StanislavPetrov 8y agoPublic and online are two different and unrelated things. Regulations that are dozens or hundreds of years old aren't easy to track down. Many large counties and towns here in New York don't have any of their records or regulations online at all. I recently had to go down to my (NY) town's city hall and pay with a paper check (the only accepted form of payment) to get a copy of my original land survey.
- jcranmer 8y agoHere is a link to the code of NYC that took me about 30 seconds to track down: http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/New%20York/admin/newyorkcityadministrativecode?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:newyork_ny http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/New%20York/admin/... (I went via https://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/4080/nyc-charter-laws-codes-and-rules https://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/4080/nyc-charter-...). Even my dinky little town in Massachusetts has a PDF of all of its regulations. Again, note that many of the apocryphal stories about "weird laws still on the books" refer not to small cities, but the kind of large, old cities whose laws are easily accessible via the web.
- StanislavPetrov 8y ago
- rory096 8y ago> it is illegal to have two or more people gather together in public while each wearing any sort of disguise or mask[2] Wearing a mask in public (or on private property without written consent) is a felony in Virginia punishable by up to 5 years in jail. This has allowed for the identification and exposure of many attendees of the Nazi riot on August 11-12, 2017 who may have otherwise concealed their identities. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter9/section18.2-422/ https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2/chapter9/secti...
- darpa_escapee 8y agoAnti-mask laws are mostly the result of masked terrorists like the KKK who exploited anonymity to commit their crimes[1]. > Many anti-mask laws date back to the mid-20th century when states and municipalities, passed them to stop the violent activities of the Ku Klux Klan, whose members typically wore hoods of white linen to conceal their identities. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-mask_laws#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-mask_laws#United_States
- spqr0a1 8y agoWhile other states enacted mask laws in response to the KKK, in New York it was an attempt to maintain one of the last feudal systems in the western world. http://gothamist.com/2012/10/22/anti-mask_law_from_1845_used_to_arr.php http://gothamist.com/2012/10/22/anti-mask_law_from_1845_used... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Rent_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Rent_War
- darpa_escapee 8y agoInteresting, thanks for the links!
- cronix 8y agoI wish we had that in Oregon. Portland is plagued by masked Antifa rioters (and other groups) doing illegal acts. I doubt they'd be as bold if they were easily identified. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwTT-RiMSnQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwTT-RiMSnQ