"In the run-up to his election as mayor, Zohran Mamdani said he would keep Jessica Tisch-a billionaire heiress who has rolled back police reforms and collaborated with ICE-as NYPD commissioner. He repeated that pledge after his victory last week. Five years ago, Mamdani called the NYPD "racist, anti-queer," "wicked," and "corrupt." After being forced to apologize for these comments, and pledging his support for the police, he's now saying that he and Tisch can work together."
"Business elites demand aggressive policing because it establishes what they see as proper order, a prerequisite for commercial investment. To quote former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, police "flush" homeless and other ostensibly disposable people "off the street" to fuel development and displacement. The ultra-rich aren't being subtle about this. "Public safety is the number one fiscal stimulus," one hedge fundie told Bloomberg just after Mamdani's election."
Left-wing mayors inherit entrenched institutions that constrain progressive agendas. Socialist campaigns promise to challenge capital but find police unions, business interests, and state politicians limiting reforms. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani pledged to retain Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner despite her rollback of reforms and collaboration with ICE. Mamdani previously called the NYPD "racist, anti-queer," "wicked," and "corrupt," then apologized and pledged support for police. That decision illustrates the power of police in local politics and the relative weakness of the left. Business elites push aggressive policing to create perceived order and stimulate commercial investment. Political and financial elites have coordinated to defeat reform efforts nationally.
Read at The Nation
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