Just two days after big congressional primary wins cemented Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s reputation as a political kingmaker, he faced new pressure from a large coalition of allies who say he’s failed to follow through on a campaign pledge to reform the NYPD.
Several elected officials and dozens of political and advocacy organizations — including the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter — rallied near City Hall. The large crowd protested Mamdani’s decision to expand the NYPD’s head count by 580 officers, as well as an ongoing police crackdown on low-level offenses. The mayor was at the same time delivering remarks at a Police Athletic League business luncheon in Midtown.
“The reason I am here is to help the mayor keep the commitments that were made,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was among those urging the mayor to reverse a plan to hire the new officers.
The demonstration represented one of the first major public splits between Mamdani and some of his core supporters.
Policing represents a key challenge for Mamdani, who pledged as a candidate to keep the police head count flat and create a public safety agency that would deploy more mental health professionals to emergencies. But last month, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said she had received approval to hire 580 additional officers by the end of the year. Mamdani’s Office of Community Safety has yet to scale up or demonstrate how it could address mental health crises.
During his remarks, Williams referenced Mamdani’s ability to propel relatively unknown candidates into victory. “Let's apply that prowess to policy,” he said.
Mamdani has previously defended growing the NYPD's ranks, saying the increase is needed to expand policing in the Bronx and to allow new recruits more time to train.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks at a rally protesting Mayor Mamdani's police policies.
During a News12 interview on Thursday, he said those criticizing him had good intentions.
“As the mayor you appreciate and take into consideration everyone's views and opinions on these things,” he said.
At the rally, Samy Feliz, whose brother Allan Feliz was killed during a 2019 traffic stop, accused the mayor of parroting pro-police rhetoric.
“The NYPD does not have a training problem,” he said. “It has an accountability problem.”
The rally comes as the mayor and City Council are wrestling over a budget deal that is expected in the coming days. Several councilmembers expressed their frustration that the mayor had decided to fund the hiring of new cops rather than expand a rental assistance program that helps low-income New Yorkers.
Several members of the Council’s progressive caucus attended the rally, including Tiffany Cabán, Sandy Nurse, Alexa Avilés, Shahana Hanif and Pierina Sanchez.
Sanchez, a councilmember who represents the Bronx, said she planned to vote no on the budget if the mayor did not add funding for the rental assistance program.
She said she had spoken to beat cops in her district.
“Do you want to know what they say to me?” she said. “They say we cannot arrest our way out of inequality. We cannot arrest our way out of mental health emergencies.”
“Please, I'm asking you, as an ally,” she continued. “Do the right thing to make true on your campaign promises.”
