Mamdani announces community safety office that will combat hate crimes

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces the establishment of an Office of Community Safety.

The department was a major campaign pledge from Mamdani, who said the office will combat hate crimes, which overwhelmingly target Jews in the city.

The office is significantly smaller than Mamdani’s campaign pledge, though.

He had vowed to establish the body as a city agency, but the executive order sets up a mayoral office, a less significant measure than a full-fledged agency.

The office was established by executive order, which can be revoked by a future administration.

Mamdani also vowed a $1.1 billion budget for the proposed department, but the office’s budget is only $260 million, and that funding is drawn from other programs and will not bring in any new funds, The New York Times reports.

The city is dealing with a budget deficit in the billions.

The office will also only be staffed by two people, at least at first.

Mamdani’s staff has said the office will expand in the coming months.

Mamdani announced that Renita Francois, a veteran of city government and nonprofits, will head the office as the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety.

The office will take a “whole-of-government approach to crime prevention and public safety that addresses gun violence prevention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, hate crime prevention, victims services, and subway safety,” Mamdani’s office says.