Less than three weeks after Zohran Mamdani’s rousing inauguration speech, his supporters are expressing concern over his administration’s first major compromise: the reappointment of Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, an architect of the New York Police Department’s repressive surveillance policing apparatus who has shown a willingness to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Opponents of Tisch’s role in the administration have been vocal since the decision was made to reappoint her on Nov. 19. In early December, a coalition of more than 120 organizations called on the mayor-elect to “drop Tisch,” citing a range of issues “from New York to Palestine.” They were joined by the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys – UAW Local 2325, representing over 3,500 legal services workers in the New York City metro area, which published a statement urging Mamdani to “drop Tisch immediately.”