Zohran Mamdani criticized the NYPD, asserting it punishes poor Black and Brown communities. He stated that police often exacerbate violence rather than create safety. Mamdani emphasized that many responsibilities assigned to police should be managed by trained professionals instead. He pointed out that domestic violence calls and situations involving homeless individuals do not necessitate a police presence but should involve crisis intervention trained personnel. His campaign promotes using responders specifically trained to handle mental health emergencies rather than the police.
"Police do not create safety. For many, many people across this city and this state, police actually create and amplify violence. And it is very important to speak about that reality that many people have because it pushes up against the conventional understanding of police who are seen to be people who come to resolve violence."
"You just look at the history of the NYPD, and you see that we have invested in a system that functions, in many ways, to punish poor Black and Brown people across this city, and across this state, and frankly across this country."
"There are so many responsibilities we have given to police, that frankly should have nothing to do with their departments. A homeless person is on a train, they do not need a stranger with a gun to come and resolve that situation."
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