Mamdani Defends NYPD and Jails, Citing 149 Murders as He Breaks With DSA Abolition Platform
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 10
Mamdani Defends NYPD and Jails, Citing 149 Murders as He Breaks With DSA Abolition Platform
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 10
Summary
Zohran Mamdani said New Yorkers should not have to choose between safety and justice, explicitly backing police, prisons and jails in a Friday radio interview.
149 murders, 381 shooting incidents and 462 shooting victims were recorded in the first seven months of 2026, which Mamdani cited as proof the NYPD helped drive crime to record lows; major crime fell 6.6% from 2025.
The stance puts the New York City mayor at odds with the DSA’s official program, which treats defunding police and weakening police unions as steps toward abolishing police and prisons.
DSA co-chair Megan Romer separately argued defunding means shifting money to schools, jobs and parks rather than eliminating police immediately, while Mamdani still praised NYC-DSA for elevating Black and Brown candidates.
Steven Bonnell, known as Destiny, said Mamdani would likely govern moderately in City Hall while using a secure office to help more radical socialist candidates gain influence.