Domestic violence survivors, advocates, and public safety experts are speaking out forcefully against controversial remarks made by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who previously argued that police should not respond to domestic violence calls.
In a resurfaced 2020 podcast interview on Immigrantly, Mamdani — a Democratic Socialist and current state assemblyman — argued that many responsibilities currently assigned to police, including domestic violence incidents, should be reassigned to non-police responders.
“Police do not create safety,” Mamdani said. “There are so many responsibilities we’ve given to police that, frankly, should have nothing to do with their departments… if somebody is jaywalking, if somebody is… going through domestic violence — there are so many different situations that would be far better handled by people trained to deal with those specific situations, as opposed to an individual with a gun.”
The comments were highlighted in a video posted by the Washington Free Beacon, and have since drawn sharp rebukes from survivors and advocates who argue Mamdani’s vision could put lives at greater risk.
Advocates Say Mamdani’s Approach Could Endanger Lives
Michelle Esquenazi, founder of Victims Rights Reform, called Mamdani’s position deeply troubling, especially for women and children caught in violent situations.
“There’s a lot of humans who are victims in the city of New York, and they need protection because sometimes it’s a matter of life and death,” Esquenazi told Fox News Digital. “They’re hiding in the bathroom with their children, and they need someone to come immediately.”
Esquenazi, herself a survivor of domestic abuse, recounted how New York police saved her life during a violent attack by her ex-husband in 1993, while she was pregnant and at home with her children.
“They separated him from the situation immediately and essentially saved our lives,” she recalled.
Even traditionally left-leaning advocacy groups expressed alarm. Sonia Ossorio, executive director of the National Organization for Women NYC, said sending unarmed responders instead of police could further endanger victims.
“The number one cause of death and major injury for women in this country is done at the hands of their intimate partner,” Ossorio said. “So fast response by law enforcement that is trained and has the resources to intervene in major situations is critical.”
Mamdani’s History of Anti-Police Rhetoric
Mamdani’s remarks came during the height of nationwide protests and riots in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. At the time, Mamdani was among several progressive politicians calling to defund the police. He has referred to the NYPD as “wicked and corrupt” and made remarks such as “Queer liberation means defund the police.”
The tragic case of Shatavia Walls, a Brooklyn woman who was fatally shot after following then-Borough President Eric Adams’ advice to resolve disputes without calling 911, underscored the dangers of that approach. Walls had asked a group of unruly men to stop setting off illegal fireworks near children but was hunted down and killed for it. Her story became a cautionary example of what can happen when unarmed civilians are expected to defuse volatile, potentially deadly situations—precisely the kind of scenario Mamdani believes should be handled without law enforcement.
Despite his past positions, Mamdani appeared to soften his tone during a recent mayoral debate, claiming he would not defund the police but instead deploy mental health professionals and social workers to respond to certain types of calls.
His campaign platform advocates for a Department of Community Safety, which he says would allow police to focus on violent crime while non-law enforcement responders handle homelessness, mental illness, and other “failures of the social safety net.”
Critics, however, say Mamdani’s evolving rhetoric does little to calm concerns that he lacks a realistic understanding of the dangers posed by domestic violence — a type of emergency widely acknowledged by law enforcement as one of the most volatile and deadly for both victims and responding officers.
Public Safety and Political Fallout
Mamdani’s comments risk further alienating voters concerned about rising crime and quality-of-life issues in the city. In primary results, working-class, Black, and Hispanic neighborhoods overwhelmingly voted against Mamdani — a sign that his far-left messaging may not be resonating with many of the New Yorkers he claims to represent.
With domestic violence rates still a serious concern in New York and across the country, Mamdani’s past remarks are likely to remain a point of contention in the mayoral race — and a major test of how far the electorate is willing to follow the city’s far-left political tide.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 for confidential support.
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Walls should have called a social worker.
He says he wants to put an end to ownership of anything. Lets start with his stuff.