Socialist mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani reportedly plans to dismantle the NYPD’s elite Strategic Response Group (SRG), the specialized task force involved in responding to citywide emergencies and critical incidents such as shootings, including Monday’s tragedy in midtown Manhattan, according to the New York Post. Mamdani, who secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor, has reportedly not rescinded remarks about his plan despite recent gratitude expressed for first responders following a deadly mass shooting. Mamdani first announced his intent to abolish the SRG via social media in December 2024, criticizing the unit for costly settlements and alleged brutal treatment of New Yorkers exercising their First Amendment rights.
“As Mayor, I will disband the SRG, which has cost taxpayers millions in lawsuit settlements and brutalized countless New Yorkers exercising their First Amendment rights,” he wrote just two months after announcing his candidacy for mayor, according to The Post.
Following the tragic incident on Monday, Mamdani wrote, “I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer in critical condition in my thoughts. Grateful for all of our first responders on the ground.” But among the first responders at the scene were the members of the SRG, who “stormed into the building to ensure the shooter had been contained.”
The SRG is tasked with managing protests, civil unrest, and emergency responses including mass shootings and bank robberies. Mamdani’s critics have pointed to his past calls for defunding the police and his previous negative remarks about the NYPD. Nonetheless, after the recent Park Avenue shooting incident, Mamdani expressed sorrow for the victims and support for the officers affected.
Many are not finding his remarks on the shooting sincere, however. “He’s a joke,” one cop source said. “He only wants to ban SRG because they are the ones responding to his people’s protests.”
Democratic political operative and longtime police union advisor Ken Frydman criticized Mamdani’s attempt to show sympathy and support for fallen police officer Didarul Islam who was tragically shot in the lobby by the maniacal murderer.
“Mamdani is hypocritical and irony-deficient. He can’t say he’s ‘heartbroken’ over the Midtown mass shooting and praise first responders while calling for disbanding the Strategic Response Group,” Frydman argued.
New York State Conservative Party chairman Gerard Kassar echoed Frydman’s concerns, warning New Yorkers that they need to “seriously ponder who their next mayor will be. They need to think long and hard about potentially electing an unabashed anti-cop candidate in Zohran Mamdani.”
According to The Post, “Mamdani’s spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether he stands by his vow to abolish the SRG.”
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