Democratic mayoral nominee and Meeting Member Zohran Mamdani says his previous social media posts bashing the NYPD are ‘out of step’ together with his present marketing campaign. Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
Picture by Lloyd Mitchell
Amid a contemporary torrent of criticism over Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s previous tweets bashing the NYPD, he stated on Wednesday that these posts are “clearly out of step” together with his present views on policing within the 5 boroughs.
The posts have been resurfaced by Mamdani’s critics and seized upon by his common election rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to color him as complicit in violence in opposition to the police within the wake of the taking pictures. Cuomo’s marketing campaign used the same tactic throughout the major, highlighting Mamdani’s previous anti-NYPD posts to color him as somebody who won’t maintain New Yorkers secure as mayor — a message that appeared to not resonate as Mamdani beat Cuomo by practically 13 factors.
Within the days because the taking pictures, Mamdani’s critics have pointed to 2020 posts by which he referred to as to “defund the police” and one other the place he wrote “nature is healing” in response to a put up saying “I JUST SAW A COP CRYING IN HIS CAR LAMOOOO.”
“To be very clear, as I have been over the course of this campaign, I’m not defunding the police, I’m not running to defund the police,” stated Mamdani, a democratic socialist Queens Meeting member.
“The Tweet that you refer to is a Tweet that is out of step with the way in which I not only view police officers, the immense work that they do in this city, but also the seriousness with which we need to treat that work and the difficulties that come with that work,” Mamdani stated, particularly responding to a reporter’s query in regards to the “nature is healing” put up.
Regardless of Mamdani saying all through the marketing campaign that he not helps the defund motion, Cuomo has continued to insist in any other case.
“Just look at what [Mamdani] has said…’The NYPD should be defunded,’ which is a terrible mistake we made in this city,” Cuomo stated whereas talking to reporters in Inwood on Wednesday.
Mamdani provides condolences to bloodbath victims
Mamdani was joined at his occasion by Smith Etienne, brother of Aland Etienne, one of many victims who was fatally shot on Monday. Etienne was a safety guard on the Park Avenue workplace constructing the place the taking pictures befell and was a member of 32BJ SEIU — a union that has endorsed Mamdani and hosted his Wednesday occasion at its Flatiron headquarters.
Additionally current on the occasion was Shamsul Haque, the founding father of the Bangladeshi American Police Affiliation, who was there to commemorate Islam — a Bangladeshi officer. Mamdani stated that he will probably be attending Islam’s Thursday funeral on the invitation of his brother-in-law, Officer Kamrul Hasan.
Mamdani stated he visited Islam’s household at their Bronx residence for roughly an hour quickly after touchdown at John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport on Wednesday.
The Meeting member’s evolving place on the position of the police comes because the left-leaning politician has moderated a few of his different earlier positions in addition to searching for to unite the Democratic Occasion behind him within the common election. Along with Cuomo, Mamdani is dealing with off in opposition to incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and legal professional Jim Walden.
Cuomo, Adams, and Walden are all working as independents.
Mamdani additionally sought to make clear a social media put up from late final yr by which he pledged to disband the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group. The unit responded to Monday’s mass taking pictures, however has additionally been closely scrutinized over allegations that it makes use of extreme drive in quelling protests.
Cuomo attacked him over the put up after a New York Publish report resurfaced it on Tuesday.
“The Assembly Member called for the dismantling of the Strategic Response Group, that is the group that responds to terrorist attacks, that is the group that responded to the shooting on Monday,” Cuomo stated. “He just doesn’t understand government, and he doesn’t understand public safety, and he is dangerous in that regard.”
When requested if he nonetheless sought to dismantle the unit, Mamdani stated he would, however that he would additionally substitute it with one other group devoted to responding to emergencies and never protests.
“What we saw on Monday was an example of how we would want a response to look like to an emergency,” Mamdani stated. “There is a need to ensure that every act we take is one that is actually delivering public safety. And what we see right now, especially with regards to how we respond to protest, is not in line with that.”
