During Thursday’s mayoral debate, Andrew Cuomo took aim at Zohran Mamdani, criticizing the socialist frontrunner for his previous remarks about the NYPD that included labeling the police as “racist” and an “unsafe presence.”
“The police deserve respect. They aren’t racists,” Cuomo stated firmly. “As the assemblyman puts it, they are not a public safety threat. They are here to safeguard New Yorkers.”
Mamdani responded by dismissing Cuomo’s comments as outdated.
“I’ve made it clear many times that while Andrew Cuomo wants to dredge up tweets from 2020—when he was responsible for sending seniors to their deaths in nursing homes—I’m focused on collaborating with police, not defunding the NYPD,” he stated.
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Mamdani faced scrutiny after past social media comments surfaced in 2020, where he had called the NYPD racist and asserted they posed a threat to public safety.
His situation worsened when he remarked in a recent interview that he recognized the need to apologize but, surprisingly, did not verbalize any actual apology.
While facing inquiry about how he could apologize, Mamdani had only offered convoluted language, asserting he would extend apologies to every officer behind closed doors.
However, on Wednesday, he finally made a formal public apology during a Fox News interview.
Key Moments from the First NYC Mayoral Debate
- Cuomo confronts Mamdani over DSA plans to decriminalize prostitution.
- Mamdani struggles to clarify funding for $10B in “freebies.”
- Cuomo criticizes Mamdani for his anti-NYPD comments.
- Mamdani criticized for inexperience: “He has never held a job.”
- Mamdani faces backlash for his silence on Hamas and support for “Globalize the Intifada.”
Despite the pressures, the avowed Democratic Socialists of America member remained steadfast in his approach during the debate held at 30 Rockefeller Center, addressing his stance on police accountability.
Mamdani argued that the Civilian Complaint Review Board should hold the ultimate authority in matters of police discipline, asserting that this would remove political influence from the accountability process.
“I believe we need to strip away much of the politics involved in addressing accountability,” he articulated.
“Often, recommendations are subject to political inclinations and not effectively acted upon. New Yorkers deserve a system where they can trust there will be a thorough assessment post-recommendation,” he concluded.
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The CCRB is composed of fifteen members who are political appointees serving three-year terms, with the mayor appointing five of these board members alone.
