DSA Comrades Pressure Mayor Mamdani to Fire NYPD Commissioner Tisch Following ICE Shooting
Within the Democratic Socialist of America, some are calling for Commissioner Jessica Tisch's dismissal and the disbandment of the Strategic Response Group, with some factions directing criticism away from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Members of the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) are intensifying their calls for NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to resign and for the city to disband the police department's Strategic Response Group (SRG). Some within the DSA are notably omitting Mayor Zohran Mamdani from these demands.
One prominent instance involved DSA state senate candidate Illapa Sairitupac, who posted a graphic on X that read, "Abolish ICE, disband the SRG, fire Tisch," without mentioning Mamdani. This has led to accusations that the New York City Council, specifically Public Safety Chair Oswald Feliz and Speaker Julie Menin, are obstructing legislation aimed at disbanding the SRG. Socialist council member Chi Osse claimed that Feliz is intentionally preventing The CURB Act, a bill designed to halt the SRG's involvement in protest disruption, from receiving a hearing.
"The chair of the public safety committee, Council Member Oswald Feliz, is blocking the bill from a hearing, and no, he’s not a republican," Osse stated in an Instagram video. He added, "It’s long overdue that we, the people, get a hearing," and suggested the Mamdani administration should weigh in on the proposed legislation.
However, other left-wing groups have been more direct in their criticism of the mayor. The New York City chapter of the DSA released a formal statement on Saturday demanding that Mayor Mamdani dismiss Tisch. This demand followed an incident where a man was shot by federal law enforcement officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation. The DSA's statement urged Mamdani to "fire NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch and use every power available to him to drive ICE out of New York City." The group further called for the abolition of the NYPD's Strategic Response Group and Community Response Team.
Socialist congressional candidate Andrew Easton, running against incumbent Rep. Ritchie Torres, placed the "real responsibility" on Mayor Mamdani. Easton asserted on X that Mamdani must "kick every ICE agent out of NYC," emphasizing that the mayor was elected with the support of the immigrant rights movement and must be held accountable, including fully enforcing Executive Order 13.
A spokesperson for Mayor Mamdani did not immediately provide a comment when contacted by The Post.