The Democratic Socialists of America are urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to dismiss police Commissioner Jessica Tisch following a contentious shooting incident involving ICE agents in the Bronx last week.
In a pointed online statement, the DSA has called on its prominent member to terminate the city’s police chief and disband two specialized NYPD units.
“We demand that Mayor Zohran Mamdani fire NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and use every power available to him to drive ICE out of New York City,” the statement insisted.
They further requested the city dismantle both the strategic response and community response teams.
Concerns were raised after federal immigration agents confronted suspected gang member Oscar Belgal in Marble Hill last Thursday. They fired multiple shots into his vehicle, hitting him in the neck while his young son sat in the back seat.
At a press briefing later, Tisch clarified that the NYPD had no part in the operation. However, she noted that Belgal, identified as a member of the Trinitarios street gang, had an extensive criminal record that included robbery and drug-related offenses.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a DSA Congressional candidate, called for Tisch’s resignation the day after the shooting. She accused Tisch of shielding a “militia” of armed ICE agents.
In an interview with left-leaning streamer Hasan Piker, Chevalier remarked that Belgal’s past “doesn’t even matter,” accusing the NYPD of demonizing the Dominican immigrant.
Mamdani, during an appearance on MS Now, addressed Avila Chevalier’s remarks but maintained his support for Tisch, despite promising to look into the police’s response to the shooting and subsequent protests.
“The NYPD was not at the scene when the incident occurred—when ICE shot at Mr. Belgal and his 5-year-old son in the car,” he stated.
Following a 911 call, the NYPD came to the scene and transported Belgal to a local hospital, according to Mamdani.
“I will be conducting a review of that entire 24-hour period with the police commissioner,” he added.
While asserting that the Strategic Response Group was not involved in the incident or the response, Mamdani did express an intention to dismantle it.
On Friday, Mamdani informed the New York Times that there are “no plans” to alter NYPD leadership.
“I want to clarify that our administration, working alongside the commissioner and the PD, will review all events from the last 24 hours, including ICE’s shooting, the police department’s response, the protests that followed, the staging of ICE actions in privately owned lots, and every step we can take to shield New Yorkers from ICE’s threats,” he told the Times.
This is still a developing story. Please check back for updates.
