Protesting near funeral activities in Chemung County will be prohibited according to a new law that was passed by the Chemung County Legislature at it’s October 11th regular meeting.
Local Law No. 4 for the year 2011 states: “No person shall knowingly engage in a demonstration within one thousand (1000) feet of any church, synagogue, or other place of worship, mortuary, funeral home, cemetery, or other location at which a Funeral Related Event is being held within one (1) hour prior to the commencement of any Funeral Related Event, or during any Funeral Related Event, or until one (1) hour following the completion of any Funeral Related Event.” A “Funeral Related Event” includes ceremonies, wakes, funerals, burials, Shiva, and other memorial services held in connection with a deceased person. The purpose of the new law is to protect the privacy of grieving families and preserve the peaceful character of cemeteries, mortuaries, and churches. Any person violating the provisions of this local law shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction , shall be punished by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1000.00) and/or by imprisonment of up to one year. Each violation shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. Legislator Rodney J. Strange voted in favor of this new law and said he believes that it is needed to prevent possible demonstrations at military funerals from groups outside of the area and anyone who may want to protest or disrupt funerals for any reason. “This law covers all funeral related events for all of our citizens,” Strange said. “Protest at military funerals have been in the news over the past several years and we must protect our soldier’s families from this type of activity. This law goes even further by protecting all families from facing this type of heinous action during their time of grief.”