New York City’s mayoral race just got a jolt of controversy with Zohran Mamdani’s radical push to end misdemeanor enforcement.
The New York Post reported that as the Democratic Socialists of America’s endorsed candidate, Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman, champions a platform to halt arrests for crimes like shoplifting, drug possession, and unarmed assault, aligning with the DSA’s vision to dismantle policing and prisons.
Critics warn this could unleash chaos on city streets, even as Mamdani softens his earlier “defund the police” rhetoric. His shift follows the July 2025 Park Avenue shooting, raising questions about his true stance.
Mamdani’s campaign reflects the DSA’s 2021 national platform, which brands policing as a tool of “class war” meant to oppress workers. The group demands slashing arrests, gutting prosecutor budgets, and abolishing cash bail, pre-trial detention, and parole violation penalties. This vision, critics argue, risks turning New York into a free-for-all where petty crimes go unchecked.
In a 2021 protest outside the Manhattan DA’s office, Mamdani called violent crime an “artificial construction” defined by the state.
Such statements fuel skepticism about his claim to prioritize public safety, especially when he insists police should ignore “non-serious” offenses. “What violent crime is – is defined by the state,” he said, a stance that critics like Rafael Mangual find unconvincing.
Mangual, a legal policy expert at the Manhattan Institute, doubts Mamdani’s recent moderation. “I don’t buy for a second that he is moderated on any of these policing questions because he has yet to really articulate in any deep way why he’s moderated or how he’s moderated,” Mangual said. His critique underscores fears that Mamdani’s policies remain rooted in radical ideology.
Post-Park Avenue shooting, Mamdani pivoted, promising to maintain NYPD’s current size while redirecting officers to focus on “serious” crimes.
Yet, his campaign video on X from August 23, 2025, touting a “department of community safety,” offers vague assurances that fail to ease concerns. Residents like Susan Ginsburg from Greenwich Village see a city spiraling toward lawlessness.
“They’re driving the city into a hole that’s never going to recover,” Ginsburg said, blaming soft-on-crime policies for a “revolving door of justice.” Her frustration echoes Manhattan’s 6th Precinct, where locals report rising disorder. Mamdani’s push to decriminalize misdemeanors, including theft up to $1,000 and assault without weapons, only heightens their alarm.
Misdemeanors in New York carry penalties up to a year in jail, covering acts like shoplifting, drug possession, and driving while intoxicated. Eliminating enforcement, as the DSA advocates, would require Albany to pass a bill downgrading these charges—a move Governor Hochul, who opposes defunding police, seems unlikely to support.
Mamdani, if elected, could still deprioritize arrests or pressure district attorneys, much like Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s lenient policies. Bragg’s “day one” memo, instructing prosecutors to go soft on armed robberies and drug dealing, has led to record-low prosecutions in Manhattan.
Mamdani’s alignment with such approaches worries residents like Maria Danzilo, who said, “Everybody is so sick and tired of this, and we just want to have a normal, functional, reasonable way of getting through our day without worrying about being hurt.” Her group, One City Rising, sees Mamdani’s plan as a step backward.
“Astonishingly, we’re even having this conversation,” Danzilo added, capturing the disbelief of many New Yorkers. Critics argue that decriminalizing misdemeanors would embolden criminals, with Chelsea resident Alexander Kaplan warning, “This is going to make it a thousand times worse.” The perception of unchecked crime, he notes, could itself fuel further lawbreaking.
Kaplan’s concern is blunt: “We’re already suffering from terrible crime.” He fears Mamdani’s policies would erode deterrence, letting offenders act with impunity. “It’s just difficult to imagine how adults in their right mind could come up with it,” he said, reflecting a broader unease about the city’s direction.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa calls Mamdani’s plan an “EZ-Pass for criminals,” warning it would render police ineffective. “This will make the police even less effective at enforcement,” Sliwa said. He predicts a “breakdown of law and order” that could plunge New York into chaos.
Mamdani’s August 23, 2025, social media video, referencing a “Zohran’s Summer Scavenger Hunt” and a nod to a corruption scandal, did little to clarify his stance.
“Police have a critical role to play, but right now we’re relying on them to deal with the failures of our social safety net,” he said, sidestepping the misdemeanor debate. Critics see this as a dodge, not a defense.
While Mamdani can’t change state laws as mayor, he could mimic Bragg’s approach, deprioritizing certain arrests or influencing prosecutors.
His push to legalize prostitution, doubled down on, further alarms those who see his agenda as dangerously permissive. The DSA’s silence, along with Mamdani’s campaign, to media inquiries only deepens distrust.
