New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani doesn’t believe the people who threw snowballs at NYPD officers on Monday should face criminal charges. Instead, he likened it to “kids in a snowball fight” while commenting on the incident during a press conference on Tuesday.
“So I’ve seen videos of kids throwing snowballs at members of the NYPD in Washington Square Park,” Mamdani said.
After praising the NYPD for their hard work and “being on the front line” of helping New York City in its blizzard recovery efforts, he was asked a question by a reporter if he thought those involved with throwing snowballs at police officers should face criminal charges if they were to be identified.
“From the videos that I’ve seen, it looks like a snowball fight,” Mamdani said.
He was asked a follow-up question about whether people were overreacting to the video, but Mamdani declined to answer.
“I’ll leave it to others to share their opinions, but I’ve shared mine,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani’s comments came after New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch categorized the occurrence as “disgraceful” and “criminal.”
“The NYPD is aware of certain videos taken earlier today in Washington Square Park showing individuals attacking cops,” Tisch said in a post on X on Monday night.
“I want to be very clear: The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal,” she said. “Our detectives are investigating this matter.”
The Sergeants Benevolent Association slammed the snowball attack on NYPD officers, calling it “reckless” and “unlawful,” Fox News reported. The organization also said that those who threw snowballs at police officers “crossed a line.”
“The behavior of the people throwing the snowballs, many of whom are believed to be NYU students, was reckless and unlawful, and put the lives and safety of others at risk,” said SBA president Vincent Vallelong in a statement.
MAMDANI’S ANTI-POLICE RHETORIC BLAMED AFTER NYPD OFFICERS GET PELTED WITH SNOWBALLS
“When individuals choose to turn a park into a launching ground for attacks on police, they cross a clear line,” said Vallelong. “Today it is snowballs. Tomorrow it could be rocks, bottles, or worse.”
“No worker in this city should be subjected to having objects thrown at them while they do their job — least of all the men and women who run toward danger to protect others,” he said. “This conduct emboldens further disorder and undermines respect for the rule of law.”