Zohran Mamdani's ‘Defund the NYPD' posts surface as he visits slain cop Didarul Islam's family

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani posted about visiting the house of Didarul Islam, the NYPD cop killed by Shane Tamura in the Midtown Manhattan shooting. However, his post triggered backlash, with people mentioning his controversial 'defund the police' tweet from 2020. New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks about mass shooting at a midtown Manhattan office tower in New York City. (REUTERS)
'Two days ago, an act of senseless violence took the lives of Officer Didarul Islam, Wesley LePatner, Aland Etienne, and Julia Hyman. Today, I visited Officer Islam's family and learned of his legacy. I ask you to join me in honoring the memory of these four New Yorkers,' Mamdani wrote.
Midtown shooting victims:
Wesley LePatner was a Blackstone executive killed in the shooting at the Manhattan office building in New York. The other victim of the massacre was Aland Etienne, a security officer and father. The fourth person killed in the mass shooting that rocked the city was Julia Hyman, a Cornell grad who worked at Rudin Management.
Social media mocks Mamdani:
An individual wrote, 'Zohran Mamdani exposed as a total fraud. Mocking cops, calling them racist, then acting like he cares? No loyalty to America. He belongs in Uganda, not leading NYC. Deport him and protect our city!' Another shared a screenshot of his 2020 post featuring the hashtag '#DefundTheNYPD.'
A third questioned, 'Just think what would have happened if you would have defunded the Police like you wanted.' A fourth remarked, 'And you want to defund the police?'
During the mass shooting, Mamdani was in Uganda for his wedding. He returned Wednesday and reportedly went straight to Islam's home to meet his family. He was photographed by the New York Post outside the house, holding flowers. In another picture, he was seen hugging a relative of Islam.
"I landed back in New York City this morning and went directly to the home of Officer Islam, where I met with members of his family, young and old who are heartbroken over the loss of their son, of their brother, their father, their husband, their friend. Heartbroken in a way that words cannot fully describe,' Mamdani told reporters. He added, "We spent close to an hour together, there were moments that stayed with me.'
Mamdani continued, "They welcomed me into their home. They refused to let me leave until I had breakfast with them," adding, "They are an embodiment of so much of what makes this city the one that we love."