New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly stated that he does not support defunding the police, a stance that distances him from past social media comments where he called for the New York Police Department's defunding and dismantling. Mamdani made these remarks on Wednesday during a press conference when asked to comment on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's recent statement that the "Woke 1" era was "crazy."
Mamdani emphasized that individuals can evolve in their beliefs, stating, "I think that each person has a responsibility to tell New Yorkers, to tell Americans when they're running for office what they believe. And sometimes, what you believe can change. It can develop. It can grow. And I know that there are some for whom they still believe in that."
He further articulated his current position on public safety, saying, "I have made very clear that I do not believe in defunding the police, that I will not be defunding the police, and that to me, delivering critical public safety also looks like working with our police department alongside many other partners." Mamdani pointed to statistics from the administration's first seven months, noting "the fewest murders on record in New York City, the fewest shooting incidents on record in New York City."
His previous statements, however, show a different perspective. In June 2020, Mamdani tweeted, "We don't need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD." Later that year, in December 2020, he posted, "Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence."
David Laska, Communications Director for the New York State Republican Party, criticized Mamdani's apparent shift, calling it an attempt to disavow past "radical extremism." Laska stated, "Americans will never forget and never forgive the radical extremism of the 'woke' era, in which countless people had their livelihoods ripped away for espousing conservative values... The same people who perpetrated that evil are now the ones asking us to not hold their past statements against them."
In his recent press conference, Mamdani also addressed the balance between public safety and justice, asserting that "New Yorkers need not choose between the two" and that the police force, prisons, and jails all serve the purpose of ensuring safety and justice in tandem.