OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:10 PM – Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Democratic Socialist NYC mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani has begun to walk back previously proposed radical policies, such as defunding the New York Police Department (NYPD), amidst backlash from moderates.
Social media users dug up a previous Mamdani social media post, dating back to December 2020, where he advocated for the “dismantling” of the NYPD.
“All this misery. All for money. In the last budget, the City Council tried to make the NYPD reduce its overtime budget by half. They simply refused. There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence,” Mamdani wrote at the time.
Mamdani also previously stated that “Queer liberation means defund the police,” around the time of the George Floyd (BLM) protests.
Fraternal Order of Police National Vice President Joe Gamaldi warned of the potential radical leadership NYC could face under a Mamdani led administration, in response to Mamdani’s past remarks.
“Anyone who still supports defunding the police is completely insane,” Gamaldi stated. “Especially after seeing the horrific consequences on our urban communities. It brought on rampant crime and disorder, historic murder rates in over a dozen cities and destroyed the quality of life for millions.”
Mamdani has now made the decision to walk back his previous comments – seemingly in an attempt to appear more moderate – as he now claims that he is against defunding the police.
“I will not defund the police. I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role to play in creating public safety,” Mamdani stated at the NYC Democratic mayoral debate in June.
“Sixty-five percent of crimes from the first quarter of this year are still not solved. We need to ensure that police can focus on those crimes, and [that] we have mental health professionals and social workers to address and tackle and resolve the mental health crisis and homelessness,” he added.
Meanwhile, other union leaders have warned that a potential Mamdani mayoral administration could lead to a “mass exodus” from the NYPD, which has already begun to see a sharp increase in retirement — compared to previous years.
According to data collected by the Police Benevolent Associated, obtained by the New York Post, 1,555 NYPD officers retired as of Monday, representing a sky-high 48% of retirements compared to last year’s 1,049 officers who retired.
“We can’t afford to have a mayor who ignores the problem or tries to take us backward,” stated Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry. “We need a mayor who will speak up for police officers, and treat us and pay us like the professionals we are.”
Additionally, an anonymous Queens officer planning to retire stated that his perception of Mamdani is that he is “very anti-cop.”
“He has an extremist attitude and it’s going to scare other cops and they will go out the door,” the cop with over 20 years experience stated, according to the New York Post.
“You’ve never met us but you’re saying that we’re biased?” the officer added. “It’s offensive to everyone in law enforcement. Meanwhile, he doesn’t talk to cops.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts