Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani reaffirmed his controversial “refund” position on Wednesday following a tragic mass shooting in midtown that resulted in four fatalities, including police officers.
“I’m not advocating for a refund of the police,” he stated clearly.
However, during a press conference, when asked about the fate of the elite NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG), which was involved in the incident, he seemed to hesitate. “We need to make sure that every action we take truly promotes public safety,” he remarked. “Right now, that’s not aligning with what we’re witnessing, especially regarding our response to protests.”
Mamdani criticized the SRG, claiming it has been ineffective in managing protests and often leads to violations of civil rights. He proposed that the unit should be replaced with a different emergency task force.
This commitment to disband the SRG came as he tried to reconnect with some of his previous “refund police” statements.
He explained that his previous anti-NYPD tweets don’t represent his current campaign’s perspective, emphasizing that police must play an essential role in ensuring public safety. Still, he insisted that the police shouldn’t have to fill voids in the city’s social safety services. In the past, he suggested that social workers should handle specific situations, such as mental health crises and domestic violence calls.
Here’s the latest on NYC’s mass shooting:
“My comments from 2020 were born out of the deep frustration many New Yorkers felt after George Floyd’s murder,” he shared.
Mamdani addressed the media shortly after visiting the family of Didarul Islam, an officer killed in the shooting. He had just returned from a trip to Uganda and went directly from the airport to the family’s home.
He did not take questions as he left the hour-long visit, shifting his attention to the press conference, where he aimed to focus on Islam and the other victims.
Additionally, Mamdani criticized mayoral opponent Andrew Cuomo for using the tragedy for political gain, stating, “It’s incomprehensible that politicians are leveraging these moments for such cynical purposes.” He pointed out, “Cuomo’s comments revolve around me rather than the New Yorkers who lost their lives, which highlights the kind of politics that folks here want to move beyond.”
