Mamdani says ‘no plans’ to fire NYPD commissioner Tisch as activists announce rally

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he has no plans to fire NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, a Jewish moderate, as far-left activists announce a rally to double down on demanding her ouster.

Pressure has been mounting on Mamdani to fire Tisch since anti-Zionist protesters targeted the mayor last week on the anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.

The following day, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot a man in the city, escalating calls to remove Tisch, although the NYPD was not involved in the shooting itself. Protesters and police clashed after the shooting.

“Jessica Tisch is the police commissioner. I have no plans to change that,” Mamdani tells reporters ahead of an event.

“The reason that I made the decision to have Jessica Tisch as the police commissioner is because of her record of uprooting corruption from the upper echelons of the NYPD, while lowering crime across our city,” he says.

Mamdani has previously also said he has “no plans” to fire Tisch.

.@nycmayor says he won’t be firing Commissioner Tisch pic.twitter.com/jnN68gbfxz

— katie honan (@katie_honan) October 13, 2026

Mamdani and Tisch also appear together at a ceremony for fallen NYPD officers.

“It is a solemn privilege to be here alongside Commissioner Tisch and NYPD leadership as we remember 42 members of the New York City Police Department who gave their lives in service,” Mamdani says, hailing officers killed during the 9/11 attack and its aftermath and sympathizing with their families.

Mamdani and Tisch do not mention the controversy during their speeches.

Mamdani had canceled a press gaggle that was scheduled for earlier this morning.

Meanwhile, far-left and anti-Zionist activist groups announce a Wednesday protest demanding that Mamdani fire Tisch.

The rally, at the City College of New York, is backed by six campus anti-Zionist and socialist student groups, and the Young Democratic Socialists of America.

“We DEMAND Zohran Mamdani to use his position of power as mayor to dismantle the SRG and fire Jessica Tisch,” the groups say in a statement. The SRG is the Strategic Response Group, a police unit that sometimes responds to protests.

Some other DSA subgroups also issue fresh calls to fire Tisch.

Tisch is viewed in the Jewish community as a bulwark and responsible steward of the police force, and she has spoken about how anti-Israel activity can lead to antisemitism. Mamdani’s decision to keep her as NYPD chief assuaged concerns about his handling of police among Jews and moderates.