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New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, dodged responsibility for his past call to defund the police in the wake of a mass shooting in Manhattan that left four people dead, including a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer.
The 33-year-old Democratic socialist returned to New York City on Wednesday from his wedding celebration in Uganda and immediately visited the home of the fallen NYPD officer, Didarul Islam, and then held a press conference with Islam’s brother at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) headquarters in Manhattan.
Mamdani was peppered with questions from reporters about his past policy stances, including his 2020 call to defund the police and his recent pledge to disband the NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG), which responds to riots, civil disorder and mass shootings, such as the incident in Manhattan on Monday evening.
“My statements in 2020 were ones made amidst a frustration that many New Yorkers held at the murder of George Floyd,” Mamdani responded when a reporter asked if he regretted any of his prior comments.
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Mamdani has since walked back his stance on defunding police, but his competitors, including former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has seized on such comments, telling CNN that Mamdani doesn’t understand the “importance of NYPD.”
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“I know that Governor Cuomo is far more comfortable in the past, whether it be his own or whether it be in attacking me for tweets made before I was even an assembly member,” Mamdani said on Wednesday. “What I have said, time and time again, is the campaign that I am leading, the campaign that I am asking New Yorkers to consider is one that has been clear on its public safety approach:
In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Cuomo told Fox News Digital that his comments are “not publicizing the tragedy” and arguing that it’s a “political discussion that we have to have in this campaign.”
Mamdani said he plans to address police department staffing shortages as mayor.
“What I am speaking of is a vision that will not only address public safety, but also keep officers in this very police department will ensure that they can actually respond to the crimes that are being committed in this city,” Mamdani said.
The socialist candidate criticized the former governor for “spending an entire day speaking almost exclusively about me, and barely about the New Yorkers who have been killed,” calling it “indicative of the very politics New Yorkers want to leave in the past.”
And when a reporter asked Mamdani if he bears any responsibility for some of his past comments about the NYPD, including a post quipping, “nature is healing,” in response to someone celebrating a cop crying in his car in 2020, Mamdani again dodged accountability, touting his newfound experience connecting with NYPD officers about their experiences.
“It is clear to me, as it is clear to so many New Yorkers, of the immense risk that, so many take upon when they do this work,” Mamdani said, “What I will be as the mayor is someone who recognizes the work that these officers do, who looks to ensure work that brought them to this department and always focused on the outcome of public safety.”
Mamdani again criticized Cuomo for “trying to score” political points for criticizing his past comments.
“We spend far more of our time trying to score these kinds of points than asking ourselves, how can we ensure that New Yorkers are safe?” Mamdani said.
The Democratic socialist has secured endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders while national Democratic leaders from New York, including House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.
On Wednesday, Mamdani said he echoes Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., who is also withholding her endorsement, for a national ban on assault rifles.
“I ask that in this moment, we come together as New Yorkers, and we remember the four of our neighbors that were killed. We honor their memories, and we live up to the way in which they lead their lives,” Mamdani said.
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