Zohran Mamdani is understood to be reviewing his position on the NYPD's controversial Strategic Response Group (SRG).
The move comes as his far-left ally Darializa Avila Chevalier, who once argued that the police force should be scrapped altogether, prepares to enter Congress after romping to victory in New York's 13th Congressional District.
Mamdani endorsed Chevalier in May, and originally they were on the same page on their views on counter-terrorism and protest unit's future, before the mayor's team banked it for a later date.
Sources told the New York Post that Mamdani's team is scrambling to save face with his representative-elect with a fresh push to curtail the SRG. This would mark a departure from a previous approach, which saw such moves 'put on the back burner,' the outlet reported.
Chevalier has been a vocal critic of the SRG, which last month arrested her at a demo outside the UN when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in town. The Times of Israel reported that she was issued a court summons over alleged disorderly conduct and released. In a post on social media Chevalier wrote: 'I refuse to allow a war criminal to roam the streets of our city unchallenged.'
Mamdani has also criticized the SRG, despite the NYPD not being able to deploy the unit without City Hall's approval.
'I've been clear that my vision is for the disbanding of the SRG,' the liberal mayor told reporters.
However, sources previously told the Post that Mamdani's ambition to disband the unit had been put on the 'back-burner' and it 'wasn't really a priority' after talks earlier this year made it clear the policy change would be hard to navigate politically.
Zohran Mamdani is understood to be reviewing his position on the NYPD's controversial Strategic Response Group. His position on the unit is understood to have been a point of tension with far-left ally Darializa Avila Chevalier
Chevalier celebrated a landslide victory on Tuesday night in New York's 13th Congressional District
In an apparent change of heart the mayor's team is reviewing its policy, The Post said.
Sources said it will be difficult, as a total disbandment of the unit could leave New Yorkers without a terror or mass casualty unit. But if Mamdani does nothing he risks falling short in the eyes of his fellow Democratic Socialists.
Earlier this year, Mamdani's team was said to be angry at Chevalier, who was calling for Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to be fired. They saw it as her directly 'undermining' the mayor, The Post reported at the time.
'They were pissed about what she did on social media and her public rhetoric on NYPD,' a source said. 'City Hall was like: "What the f**k are you doing!"'
City Hall is gearing up to make an announcement regarding the NYPD unit 'pretty soon,' a source told the outlet. It reported that talks have picked back up in recent days.
Policy change could come as soon as next week, the sources said. Chevalier and City Councilman Chi Osse, who is also against SRG, have been spotted at City Hall in recent days, the Post reported.
The SRG is a hot-button topic for the left, with some saying it has no place in the Big Apple, while others argue residents would be vulnerable to an attack without it.
Chevalier was arrested at a demonstration outside the UN last month, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking
So far, the unit has responded to a little more than a dozen protests and made fewer than 10 arrests – two of which were Chevalier and Osse, The Post said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mamdani's office and Chevalier for comment.
Chevalier celebrated a landslide victory on Tuesday night in New York's 13th Congressional District, which covers Harlem and the Bronx.
The Democratic Socialist and activist has faced scrutiny for a number of extreme past statements and positions, including calling for the United States to abolish all border enforcement.
Chevalier has attempted to walk back a number of her most extreme policy positions, including saying in 2021 that she believed 'a world without borders, just like a world without prisons or police, is possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward.'
The remark was among dozens of inflammatory social media posts that Chevalier deleted after launching her campaign.
In Tuesday's election, Chevalier romped to victory with 87.5 percent of the vote over her GOP challenger, Jomo Williams, who was on 11.4 percent.
Chevalier joined far-left candidates Claire Valdez and Brad Lander, who also won House seats in New York City, marking a lurch to the left in the Big Apple.
Wearing a Palestine-inspired Keffiyeh around her neck at her victory party, Chevalier celebrated at a tavern in Harlem as supporters cheered her name.
Chevalier is now set to become one of the most high-profile socialists in Congress, with four other Democratic Socialists of America-linked candidates also winning House seats in the midterms.
Source link
