Mamdani booed off stage during Staten Island NYPD event

New York City's Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not receive a warm welcome in Staten Island on Tuesday. He was relentlessly booed and heckled while giving a speech during the 43rd annual NYPD Patrol Borough Staten Island National Night Out Against Crime event.

Mamdani, 34, can be seen in a video posted on social media taking the stage in Midland Beach. The crowd immediately erupted in boos. Despite the negative reception, the mayor carried on with his remarks.

The crowd grew even more hostile as Mamdani exited the stage, with individuals getting louder, making thumbs-down gestures, and urging him to leave, according to the video. Staten Island is one of the only conservative areas of New York City.

The mayor has been heavily criticised for his history of anti-police remarks, including calling the NYPD "racist" and advocating for the department's defunding.

In June 2020, Mamdani wrote on X: "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. But your compromise uses budget tricks to keep as many cops as possible on the beat. NO to fake cuts - defund the police."

While on the campaign trail in 2025, Mamdani switched up his stance about police in an apparent effort to win support. "I am not defunding the police; I am not running to defund the police," he told Politico. "Over the course of this race, I've been very clear about my view of public safety and the critical role that the police have in creating that public safety."

The mayor has since angered his own political party, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), after he supported a plan to increase the NYPD force, The New York Times reported. He later backtracked amid criticism and the 5,000 new officers who were supposed to join the force in July were not hired.

According to the NYPD website, "National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships to help make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. This was not the first time Mamdani faced a hostile crowd of New Yorkers. He has been booed several times during protests, often by the city's Jewish community.