Zohran Mamdani is campaigning on a radical vision to overhaul law enforcement in New York City—one rooted in the Democratic Socialists of America’s platform that seeks to eliminate the enforcement of all misdemeanor crimes.
The DSA, which has endorsed Mamdani’s bid, denounces policing and detention as “instruments of class war” designed to maintain control over working-class communities. Its national platform, adopted in 2021, calls for dismantling the “carceral forces of the state”—from prisons and police to electronic monitoring and parole enforcement.
Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman, has echoed those views on the trail, saying police should stop focusing on what he calls “non-serious crimes.” In a campaign video posted Wednesday, he argued: “Right now we’re relying on [police] to deal with the failures of our social safety net, which is preventing them from doing their actual jobs.”
The misdemeanors that would be decriminalized or deprioritized under DSA’s vision are not trivial offenses. In New York State, they include theft or shoplifting up to $1,000, drug possession, assault without a weapon, and driving while intoxicated.
Critics warn that Mamdani’s approach would open the door to chaos. “They’re driving the city into a hole that’s never going to recover,” the New York Post quoted Greenwich Village resident Susan Ginsburg, who described her neighborhood as a “lawless drug den” since bail reform and lenient prosecution policies took hold.
Maria Danzilo, an Upper West Side Democrat and founder of One City Rising, called Mamdani’s agenda “exactly the opposite of what New Yorkers need right now.”
Though once an outspoken proponent of “defund the police,” Mamdani has shifted his rhetoric following the Park Avenue massacre. He now promises to maintain NYPD headcount while narrowing its focus to violent crimes. But skeptics say the pivot is superficial.
Mamdani has also questioned the very definition of violent crime, telling protesters in 2021 that “violence is an artificial construction” and promising to shut down Rikers Island—a pledge he continues to repeat.
Misdemeanor law is set at the state level, but as mayor, Mamdani would wield enormous influence over how laws are enforced. He could direct the NYPD to deprioritize arrests or pressure district attorneys to dismiss cases—just as Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg drew fire for instructing staff to downgrade robbery and drug charges on his first day in office.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa warned such policies would create “an EZ-Pass for criminals.” He added: “This will cause the quality of life to decline dramatically, leading to a breakdown of law and order.”
Governor Kathy Hochul, who has yet to endorse Mamdani, has publicly rejected calls to defund police, setting up a potential confrontation between City Hall and Albany should Mamdani win.
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