Mamdani’s Plans for Mental Health Crises Aim to End a Cycle of Violence

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and leading candidate for mayor of New York City – recently endorsed by Governor Kathy Hochul – has proposed creating a civilian-led Department of Community Safety with $1.1 billion in funding to deploy mental health teams to assist people in crisis, rather than police. 

Mamdani, 33, who currently leads former Governor Andrew Cuomo by more than 10 points, released a proposal to create the department in April, when he was lagging far behind in the polls. The new agency would be charged with sending public health teams to respond to mental health crisis calls throughout the city. 

The intent of the agency is to relieve stress on overburdened police officers and to break cycles of violence. Using a community approach to mental health, it would roll out peer-led programs “that are proven to create long-term stability and promote recovery,” according to his 17-page plan.

Stretched by overtime work, many in the New York City police department welcome the plan, at least in theory. “No argument there from the cops,” Kenneth Corey, a retired chief of the police department, told the New York Times. He who called the plan “conceptually rock solid.” 

Police generally receive limited training in how to respond to mental health emergencies, and high-stress encounters too often end in violence. The use of civilian response teams is aimed at preventing such violence. A police officer in Chicago recently shot and killed a woman when she was moving a pot of hot water toward her sink, and last year officers in New York killed a teenager in mental distress holding a pair of scissors, even as his mother tried to shield him. 

Specialized mental health crisis teams already help people in mental health emergencies in many cities around the country. MindSite News has previously reported on programs in Eugene, Tucson, Denver and Chicago. As in other cities, the biggest challenge to Mamdani’s plan may be a financial one, since it might require raising taxes, something that Hochul – who is currently proposing tax cuts – has the power to veto it.

The community safety department and mobile crisis teams are part of Mamdani’s progressive platform, which includes freezing rents, building affordable housing, supporting city-owned grocery stores and fare-free buses, along with no-cost childcare, green schools, and lower healthcare costs. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has served in the New York State Assembly since 2021, and is the son of scholar Mahmood Mamdani and Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, known for directing and/or writing iconic films including Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala, and Monsoon Wedding. 

His primary challenger is Cuomo, who resigned as New York governor in 2021 after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment. Cuomo is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is also running, as is Republican nominee Curtis Silwa, among others. On Monday, Trump said he would cut federal aid to New York City if Mamdani wins the election.

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