Zohran Mamdani thinks the NYPD should be removed specifically from high-crime areas.
He says that’s as mayor, he’d replace cops with social workers—and turn the subway into a network of homeless shelters.
Question: “So, do you think that we have to almost do without policing in certain areas, which are labeled as high-crime, to have alternative bodies to do the policing in a more compassionate, more merciful, more social assistance and helping approach than arresting and putting in jail?”
Zohran Mamdani: “I absolutely think that what we need to do is give support and funding to institutions that are trained to deal with these kinds of issues. As you said, if you’re having an argument with someone and there’s a risk of it escalating, who is better positioned to de-escalate it? Someone who is well-known in the community or someone who has been trained specifically in de-escalation, or a stranger who has a gun? We see so many situations where encounters with police, the police arrive, and all of a sudden, the tension rises even astronomically to what it was prior.
And I think that we need to say and ask ourselves, you know, look at how policing is done in the suburbs, in wealthier, whiter America. When people make mistakes, the answer is not to throw them in jail. The answer is not to, you know, put them in a cage and throw away the key. The answer is to try and find a non-carceral solution, you know, community service, something where, you know, they learn from their mistakes, there’s a sense of accountability and growth. All these kinds of things, which for many people in this country, especially Black people, are not offered the same opportunity.”