(Crankers) Democratic socialist and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani supports reducing the jail population through comprehensive public safety reforms.
His platform focuses on a community-based approach to safety that expands mental health outreach and addresses underlying causes of crime rather than relying solely on incarceration.
Mamdani has proposed creating a Department of Community Safety to expand mental health outreach services. He argues that “dignified work, economic stability, and well-resourced neighborhoods” are more effective at preventing harm and improving public safety than increasing policing and incarceration.
The candidate contends that a heavy reliance on police to fix societal problems prevents them from performing their jobs effectively. He attributes this to a failing social safety net.
Mamdani’s public stance on criminal justice has evolved since his 2020 election to the New York State Assembly, although most people believe he’s changing his tune in hopes of finding votes, but would still defund police if he won.
Mamdani once said, about the NYPD: “We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD.”
Watch Mamdani’s video below: