Mayor Zohran Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. It is a privilege to be here at Brooklyn College with you this morning, and I want to say thank you to the Under the Radar Festival for—give them a round of applause—for providing 1,500 tickets to New Yorkers free of cost and allowing us to be here to help celebrate that decision. When I speak about making our city more affordable, my vision is not limited to the homes that we live in or the childcare that we're making universal. It's also a vision where we make it possible for working people to afford lives of joy, of art, of rest, of expression.
And I met New Yorkers today at our giveaway where they shared with me the struggles in their own life, and so often all they are seen for are those struggles. All they can think of are those struggles, and what today also provides an answer to is that they, too should have art in their lives. They, too should be able to engage, express, and reflect on themselves and the world around them.
And I'm so thankful, frankly, to this incredible festival for not only the work that it has done in years past, but its commitment today in ensuring that arts becomes that much more accessible for each and every New Yorker, especially those for whom it hasn't been the reality.
And this giveaway is a reminder that art is a form of connection in a city that is both desperate for it and dependent on it. The shared laughter in a crowded theater, the eager debrief after a musical, the heavy silence that hangs over all of us in a drama, these are moments that every New Yorker deserves.
That is why I am so delighted to be here to spread the word that the Under the Radar Festival, the nation's largest theater festival, is giving away free tickets because they, too believe that art is better when it can be shared and enjoyed by every single New Yorker.
So I encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible offer and to witness greatness from the stage, because the next legendary New York theater star is probably waiting just behind the curtain. And I even had a man look at me and say, as one former rapper to another, you need to come to my show. So everybody's making their pitch, as they should, and now New Yorkers need not worry about how much money's in their pocket and whether or not they can actually attend that show.
Because what this provides the opportunity to New Yorkers for is the chance to fall in love with their city all over again. And I am so thankful to this festival, I am thankful to our partners in government, I'm thankful to our assemblymember, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, and I'm thankful because what today shows is just one step we are making to make this a city that everyone can afford not only to live in, but also to enjoy.
The affordability agenda cannot simply extend to the largest issues in our lives, it has to be the focus of all of our efforts in each and every moment of the day that we call New York City our home. From the buses you ride, to the theater, to the show itself, this is an agenda that has to give New Yorkers back the city that they love, the city that they deserve. Thank you so much.
Question: I'm curious about whether you see this as a one-off or whether you have a broader critique of the affordability or accessibility of theater in New York, and if so, what do you see doing with it?
Mayor Mamdani: This is just one example of an agenda and an approach that we are going to take to ensure that arts are not simply thought of as a luxury for the wealthy or a treat for the tourists. Arts have to be something that are infused into the lives of everyday New Yorkers. We know that for too long, it has felt as if a world away.
There are people just a few blocks away for whom this festival was something they hadn't heard of until this announcement was made. And so we are going to spend our time, our agenda, and the time that we have in office in doing everything we can to bring arts back to New Yorkers all across the five boroughs.
Question: There were two police-involved shootings last night. I was wondering, when were you first briefed on those incidents and how come you didn't put out a comment on it until this morning? Since we're short on time, I also wanted to ask, we reported earlier this week–
Mayor Mamdani: I'm just going to answer that one, and then I'll come back to you for a second, just to make sure we answer it in totality. So I take it very seriously, the language that I use, and I think that in a situation such as this, you have to be very intentional in what you share. And so while I was briefed about this late last evening, I wanted to make sure that everything that we shared with New Yorkers was the language that we wanted them to know about this.
And I've made those broader thoughts clear, and I would also add, frankly, that last night officers were placed in incredibly difficult and dangerous circumstances. The actions they took, they responded swiftly. And I will always emphasize, when someone has been killed, the need for a thorough investigation, as is our current process. And we are going to work to ensure the safety of both officers and New Yorkers at large. I know you had a second question.
Question: We reported earlier this week that New York City taxpayers, at this point, have paid more than $600,000 to represent former Eric Adams advisor Tim Pearson in sexual harassment lawsuits. This representation has long been controversial. Do you plan on rescinding that taxpayer-funded private representation from Mr. Pearson?
Mayor Mamdani: As soon as we read that report, we started to look into it, and when we have anything additional to share, we will do so. But thank you for the report.
Question: Mayor, following up on the police incidents last night, I'm just wondering about the protocol. Do you call the officers? It can be very traumatic if they're involved in a fatal shooting. Did you speak to the police commissioner, or just what was your interaction with the NYPD?
Mayor Mamdani: My interaction continues to be that of which it is on a daily basis, which is a constant interaction with the NYPD and with the police commissioner as well. I am deeply appreciative, not only of her work, but of their work, and what we need to see now is both a recognition of just how difficult and dangerous that situation was, and the investigation that we always know comes as a result.
Question: Just a quick follow-up. Because these seem to be mental health-related incidents, does it give you any pause about your intention to form a separate department, Department of Community Safety, to handle mental health incidents?
Mayor Mamdani: We continue to need an answer to the more than 200,000 mental health calls that the NYPD responds to and receives on an annual basis, and I do continue to believe in the importance of having a mental health unit dedicated specifically to the mental health crisis, and I also recognize the difficulty that last night's situation presented for those officers in their act to swiftly to respond to it.
Question: And to follow up on that, you obviously have public safety experts on your transition team. How, or are they recommending how a community safety response would be to an incident at Methodist? Steps to how that would take place?
Mayor Mamdani: This is very much in the conversations that we're having at this time. What I do appreciate, however, is that as we chart a new path forward, that we continue to have a Police Department that is responding to the needs that are in the immediate.
Question: Would [there] necessarily be a team that [would have] been discharged to Methodist Hospital in the case last night?
Mayor Mamdani: So those are hypotheticals that we will not engage in at this time. What I will tell you is that I'm appreciative of the work that the NYPD continues to do in responding to public safety needs. Thank you.
Question: I have a question for my colleague, Greg Smith. He reported on your DOI commissioner attending for a resignation. He'd like to know why you accepted her resignation.
Mayor Mamdani: She has been unwavering in her fight against corruption, and I thank her for her service. She made the decision to offer that, and we will leave the answer as to why she did so to her.
Question: You accepted. Can you say why?
Mayor Mamdani: We are putting together an administration that is dedicated to building a new era in our city, and so we are continuing to make decisions on retention and recruitment. We appreciate her service.
Question: I just wonder, I'm sorry to go back to the NYPD questions. You were sort of here and speaking to us. It was the first time that you said anything about the officers, and in the tweet you sort of spoke about an internal investigation and about the folks who were killed in those instances.
There's questions in the department about why you're not more forceful, about the work that those officers did, and then there's also apparently consternation with the police commissioner about not hearing from you publicly about it and feeling as though there wasn't enough support for those officers who fired, and it's a traumatic experience for them as well.
Mayor Mamdani: I want to be very clear in the first remarks that I'm sharing with you here. As I said earlier today, that last night [the] officers were put in a difficult and dangerous situation, and I continue to appreciate the work that they do every single day in New York City to keep New Yorkers safe, and I also recognize the immense difficulty that comes with that responsibility, and I appreciate the work also of my police commissioner in ensuring that we are delivering this public safety to New Yorkers, and that to me is the focus at this moment. Thank you, guys.
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