Zohran Mamdani
A snowball fight that injured police officers opened a conflict between the department and Zohran Mamdani.
What began as an innocent snowball fight during the blizzard in New York (USA) turned into a clash between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city’s police command.
A video recorded on Monday afternoon in Washington Square Park shows a snowball fight after a strong winter storm that, according to the images, ended with patrons apparently fighting. throw snowballs at police officers who were on site.
Mamdani later stated that those involved should not face criminal charges and asked New York residents to treat police officers with respect. But his response put him at odds with police leaders, who called his statements “shameful.”
On Tuesday, the New York Police Department (NYPD) released photos of four people who, according to the corporation, attacked police officers with snowballs, causing injuries.
“I want to be very clear,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch wrote on social media the day of the riot: “The behavior portrayed It’s shameful and criminal“.
Viral videos of the snowball fight circulated on social media platforms TikTok and X in the days following the storm. about 50 centimeters of snow over the city. Washington Square Park, in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood in Manhattan, usually brings together large crowds on snowy days, with activities and snowball fights, including another held a few weeks earlier, during the last big storm.
But the tone of Monday’s clash changed. After the arrival of NYPD police officers, triggered by calls to the 911 emergency number, videos show people shout curses and throw snowballs while the police returned to their vehicles.
The department is now looking for four men described as being approximately 18 to 20 years old.
An NYPD spokesperson stated that they “intentionally struck officers multiple times with snow and ice on the headon the neck and face, causing injuries.” The police officers were taken to hospital and are in stable condition.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Mamdani said he had seen videos of the incident and stated that, in his opinion, no charges should be filed.
“From the videos I saw, it seemed children in a snowball fight“, declared Mamdani.
In a later social media post, the mayor encouraged residents to respect police officers and other municipal employees.
“Police officers, like all city employees, were on the streets during a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving. Treat them with respect,” he said. “If anyone’s going to get snowballed, it’s me.”
On Wednesday, Mamdani again stated that what he saw “was a snowball fight”, acknowledging that “it got out of control, but that is what happened”.
The mayor also jokingly encouraged students from the municipal school system to throw snowballs at him for reopening schools after the snowfall. However, for some critics the attempt to ease the tension was unsuccessful.
“The speaker’s response is a complete failure of leadership. This was not just a ‘snowball fight.’ This it was an attack — committed by adults throwing pieces of ice and stones — which sent two police officers to the hospital with head and facial injuries,” said Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), in a statement on Tuesday (24/02).
“The mayor sent a shameful message to every police officer who serves this city and a dangerous message to anyone who might be thinking about attacking a police officer in the future.”
The SBA, an association of police sergeants, agreed. “Today it’s snowballs. Tomorrow it could be rocks, bottles or something worse“, stated the president of the union, Vincent Vallelong.
This was the first major clash between the unions and the mayor, who, before taking office, apologized for previous comments in which he called the NYPD “racist” and “a threat to public safety.” During his campaign for the chamber, opponents repeatedly portrayed him as hostile to the police and lenient on public safety.
After being elected in November, Mamdani asked Tisch, appointed by former mayor Eric Adams, to remain in office. Tisch’s stay, widely popular among moderates and business leaders, was seen by some as an attempt by Mamdani to dispel worries that it would adopt a soft stance against crime.
Tension between mayors and police unions is not a new phenomenon, said Basil Smikle, political strategist and former executive director of the state Democratic Party, especially when those mayors have a history of advocating reforms to the criminal justice system.
“The president is tread a fine line by not feeding into narratives about young black men in this city, which is important,” he said. But he added, “The police officers themselves and the PBA will always be sensitive to any perception that the mayor is not standing up for the police.”
As an example, Smikle cited former New York mayor Bill de Blasio, whose relationship with police unions turned hostile after he pointed out racial disparities in police performance. The then president of the PBA accused De Blasio of having “blood” on his hands after two police officers were shot dead during his term.
According to Smikle, Mamdani’s past rhetoric means that any comments he makes about the police will come under scrutiny.
“Some may view this incident as relatively innocent, but it is difficult to separate it from what can easily be interpreted as animosity toward the police,” he said. “He will always be seen in light of these previous statements.”
