Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic mayoral candidate in NYC, calls for disbanding the NYPD's Strategic Response Group (SRG) due to allegations of excessive force during protests. Despite praising the SRG's response to a recent mass shooting, Mamdani emphasizes the need for alternative emergency response teams. Other candidates, including Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo, support the SRG's role in responding to terrorism and violence. The SRG has faced scrutiny for its actions during political demonstrations, particularly in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.
"The SRG has been a controversial unit since it was established about a decade ago, touted as an agile force to reply rapidly to terrorism and other extreme violence. But in the years since - in 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests, the SRG was deployed and accused of excessive and disproportionate force, including against nonviolent demonstrators."
"What we also see, however, in this city is the treatment of protest as if it requires the same [response to emergency]"
"I think what we saw on Monday was an example of how we would want a response to look like to an emergency."
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