Mamdani Dismisses Assault on NYPD as Snowball Fight

Mamdani Dismisses Assault on NYPD as Snowball Fight
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 25, 2026

“What I saw yesterday in those videos was a snowball fight that got out of hand. I believe that our officers, just like any city workers deserve respect,“ said Socialist Zohran Mamdani, an ardent anti-law enforcement and defund the police mayor of New York City. “Just a snowball fight, kids throwing snowballs,” Mamdani reiterated with the perpetually smarmy smirk on his smug face.

But the men and women in blue are not just any city workers as Mamdani disrespectfully said. They put their lives on the line every time they put on their uniforms (as does the FDNY). NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch suggested that had any other city workers been attacked the likes of which her officers suffered, there would have been arrests, but apparently not when NYPD officers are assaulted.

Anyone with half a brain and an ounce of common sense could see in those videos from Washington Square Park, Mamdani does not know what a snowball fight is. NYPD officers underwent an assault by adults, not children, pelting the officers in the face, head, neck, just about anywhere. No officer returned fire - this was not a snowball fight, and the videos clearly proved what Mamdani chose not to see or recognize - that his officers were getting pummelled. 

A snowball fight, Mr. Mamdani, features two sides of participants agreeing to some set of rules - no ice balls, no rocks in the snowballs, etc. That did not happen. Mamdani is irresponsibly  dismissing what actually happened and in doing so, only encourages future ambushes by more miscreants. This was not harmless fun, Mr. Mamdani. Try watching the videos with your eyes open. If someone punches another person in the face 20 times without a return of blows, is that a boxing match? Of course not, that is called assault and battery.

“The mayor’s response is a complete failure of leadership. This was not just a ‘snowball fight.’ This was an assault, by adults throwing chunks of ice and rocks, that landed two police officers in the hospital with head and face injuries. By ignoring their injuries and dismissing the incident, the mayor has sent a disgraceful message to every police officer who serves the city,” said Patrick Hendry, New York City Police Benevolent Association President on Tuesday, February 24.

Tisch stood firmly with her men and women in blue, and did not take the incidents at Washington Square Park lightly, calling them “illegal. The NYPD is aware of certain videos taken earlier today [Monday] in Washington Square Park showing individuals attacking cops. I want to be very clear - the behavior depicted is disgraceful and it’s criminal. Our detectives are investigating this matter,” said Tisch on Monday, February 23.

“What we saw in Washington Square Park today was not harmless fun - it was a deliberate, outrageous, and dangerous attack on uniformed police officers,” said Scott Munro, Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) president. “The Detectives’ Endowment Association is calling on Mayor Mamdani and District Attorney [Alvin] Bragg to ensure every individual responsible for this illegal behavior is prosecuted. No free pass. No get out of jail free card. …They deserve to be protected. And they deserve to be respected. They earn it every single day,” said Munro on Monday.

But respect must start at the top. Mamdani must lead by example, and right now the example  by which he is leading is deplorable. Mamdani sneers in the face of law enforcement. His disdain for the officers serving under him is palpable. When Mamdani is disrespectful, the message he sends is that the criminal activity that occurred at Washington Square Park is acceptable and that there will be no accountability or consequences.

Stand up for the NYPD, Mr. Mamdani. Those brave men and women have one of the most challenging careers imaginable (along with the FDNY). Their responsibilities include protecting the likes of you, Mr. Mamdani, Alvin Bragg, the members of the City Council, and countless others of fame, of fortune, and of families. Officers don’t get to pick and choose their assignments. Mamdani’s New York City is shedding men and women in blue in droves. 

About 300 NYPD officers leave - per month - as confirmed by local media, to warmer, or safer, or smaller environs. Regardless of the where, some of the most important reasons why are respect from within their cities - leadership that has their backs, respect from those they are charged with protecting, and being appreciated, not scorned or attacked. Thank you to the men and women in blue goes a long way, and the sooner Mamdani recognizes this, the sooner he may stop hemorrhaging officers to safer and more dignified environs.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Mamdani's Snowjob of Hypocrisy

Mamdani’s Snowjob of Hypocrisy
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 25, 2026

Apparently shoveling snow this winter is more important than casting a ballot on Election Day in Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s New York City. His hypocrisy runneth over.

Mamdani, who doesn’t appreciate his own irony, made a Public Service Announcement (PSA) calling for New Yorkers to step up, volunteer to help shovel the City out of its current whiteout. The so-called volunteers will be paid up to $30 an hour - how that is monitored and by whom, is anyone’s guess. The irony comes into play where Mamdani lists the requirements for city denizens to pick up a shovel, which includes photo identification, the likes of which is not required when voting in any elections held in New York City.

As first reported, five forms of ID were required in order to hit the streets and sidewalks of New York City as part of Mamdani’s snowjob team. Later in the same day, that number was reduced to two, which is still two forms of ID more than are required to vote in New York City.

According to the New York City Department of Sanitation, the eligibility requirements for the big dig (no, not that Boston construction monstrosity that took more than 30 years from conception to completion) are all persons must be at least 18 years of age, must be eligible to work in the United States, and able to perform heavy physical labor. 

So, while enterprising teenagers 13-17 (if there are any) can go house to house and earn money (tax free) shoveling out their neighbors, they can’t do likewise for the City. Of course, that’s called Capitalism, something Mamdani abhors in favor of state controlled, and heavily taxed and regulated, labor. And, with no cap on the age requirement, good luck to Mamdani’s New York City that some asthmatic 70 year old doesn’t have a heart attack and drops dead somewhere on Canal Street and the family sues the City for millions. Even the US military has age limitations.

Additionally, in order to register for these shoveling assignments, each applicant must provide the City of New York two photos “1-½ inch square,” two original forms of ID - plus copies, and a Social Security card.

This is from the Socialist mayor of New York City who virulently opposes voter identification, but demands it for shoveling snow. Kind of like the circus coming to town and then the city needs folks to shovel up the shit after the circus has left. Except in the case of New York City, the circus just arrived on January 1 of this year, and is expected to stay for four years. Imagine the amount of detritus there will be to shovel after four years of circus roustabout Mamdani and his clowns.

Again, this is from the Socialist mayor of New York City, who doubled down in support of protecting illegal aliens in this so-called sanctuary city, but hypocritically won’t even hire them to shovel snow. Mamdani repeatedly calls any voter identification laws racist. If that is true, what of his snow shoveling policies - just as racist? 

Make no mistake, this is in no way an endorsement of hiring illegals in New York City, or anywhere else in the United States. This is an endorsement of law and order (bum-bum-bum-bum-bum), where there are no sanctuary jurisdictions, no protection of illegals who continue to commit crime - beyond the crime of simply crossing the border illegally - and undermine the sanctity of what it means to be an American.

How can Mamdani defend his sanctuary city politics when the very illegals he purports to protect won’t be hired by that very sanctuary city to shovel its citizens out in order for them to go to work and earn money in the capitalist system that is the United States of America? And, if this system of requiring identification is not racist to shovel snow, and does not exclude women and minorities as those who oppose voter ID laws say they do, how do they justify their opposition to voter ID laws? People need the same form(s) of ID to shovel snow as they should to vote. 

Is the shoveling of snow in New York City more sacrosanct than casting one’s ballot to determine who will represent them? Who the people will approve to govern over them? Welcome to Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s New York City circus of hypocrisy - be careful what you step in, folks.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Easy to Vote, Hard to Cheat - SAVE America Act Does Both

Easy to Vote, Hard to Cheat - SAVE America Act Does Both
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
February 25, 2026

That this column must be written in the first place is a shame, but perhaps the 10 people outside of the Democrats in Congress and the fiction readers at CNN and MS Now can be persuaded via common sense, which, granted, is not terribly common these days.

In simple language that even the anti-American Islamo-Marxists might be able to grasp, HR 7296 the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) America Act will save America and American lives if enacted and adhered to. This bill requires two things of American citizens aged 18 and older who desire the franchise - the right to vote for the Islamo-Marxists. This bill does not rescind the rights of the states to administer and tabulate elections.

The SAVE America Act will save the American republic, which as Benjamin Franklin said is ours if we can keep it. Open borders and no voter identification requirements certainly puts the republic on tenuous ground. The SAVE America Act will also save American lives by helping to weed out the illegals - so many of whom are responsible for the loss of many innocent American lives. Removing the illegals will prevent them from taking any additional American lives. Lives like Laken Riley, Rachel Morin, and Lizbeth Medina, among thousands of others.

Proof of American citizenship via an American birth certificate or American passport is required in order to register to vote. Once registered, the names are recorded so that on Election Day voters need only show a photo ID and sign the registration book. As the overwhelming majority of voters are not committing fraud, their photo will match their face and their signature will match the book.

Following those simple rules will make it easy to vote and hard to cheat, to the joy of the overwhelming majority of Americans, and to the chagrin of the overwhelming majority of Democrats in Congress. HR 7269 already passed the House by a slim margin of 218-213 on Wednesday, February 11. All 217 Republicans and Democrat Henry Cuellar (TX) voted “aye,” while the remaining 213 Democrats voted “nay,” preferring a Helter Skelter system allowing for fraud with illegal aliens and the dead to cast their ballots. (Voter rolls should be scoured every other year to eliminate potential fraud and remove those who have moved or died.) 

Voter identification is supported by 84 percent of Americans, and by wide margins across the political spectrum. Republicans support voter ID at a rate of 96 percent; Independents at 84 percent; and Democrats at 70 percent. While all but one of the 214 elected Democrats do not support requiring voter identification, 70 percent of their presumed Democrat voting supporters do support the ID requirement. This wide chasm amongst elected Democrats and their rank and file voters is demonstrative of how out of touch the Democrat Party truly is.

It is fascinating how many white liberals in Congress and the media are the first to condemn the SAVE America Act in the name of minorities, especially Black and Hispanic voters making brazen assumptions that those groups would be unable to procure appropriate identification. This soft bigotry of low expectations is both harmful and insulting. For myriad times and instances where photo identification is required it is insulting to assume Blacks and Hispanics either don’t have, or can’t get state ID. Blacks and Hispanics travel via airplane? ID needed. Drive a motor vehicle? ID needed. Open a bank account? ID needed. Apply for a marriage license? ID needed. And the list goes on - quite extensively.

Apply for a mortgage or lease
Apply for a credit card in a store
Apply for a passport
Apply for a marriage license
Apply for a business license
Apply for a liquor license
Apply for a law/medical license
Apply for Medicaid
Apply for a hunting and fishing license
Adopt a child or pet
Attend college
Attend political rallies and conventions
Attend an R-rated movie
Buy/sell a house
Buy/sell a vehicle
Buy/sell alcohol
Buy tobacco
Buy travelers checks
Buy a firearm
Buy/sell real estate
Buy/contract for a cell phone
Buy lottery tickets; collect winnings
Buy/sell stock, securities, commodities, bonds
Collect signatures on a ballot petition
Collect casino/lottery winnings; enter a casino
Driver’s license
Donating blood
Donating organs
Entering government buildings
Entering the United States
Entering a foreign country
Entering a bar
Entering many non government buildings
Flying an airplane; getting a pilot’s license
Flying on an airplane
Getting copies of most court documents
Getting a death certificate
Getting employment
Getting married
Getting one’s ears pierced
Go to a doctor/hospital
Make a bank deposit or withdrawal
Open a bank account - savings, checking
Open a business
Pick up a prescription/cold medication
Pick up packages at the post office/UPS, etc.
Pick up tickets at will call - sports/entertainment
Pick up a child at school in person - non-parent
Purchase adult themed material
Receiving a copyright or patent
Register with Selective Services
Rent an apartment
Rent a vehicle
Rent a hotel room/Airbnb
Rent a post office box
Return merchandise
Register to vote
Run for public office
Receive Social Security
Receive food stamps/welfare
Sign up for cable
Sign up for organization memberships
Sign up for utilities
Sign a petition putting a candidate on a ballot
Sign up to be a designated driver for a free non-alcoholic beverage at a ball game/concert
Take the SAT/LSAT/MCAT/GRE - standardized testing
Use a credit card
Write a check
Visit the US Capitol building/watch a session of Congress
Visit some dormitories
Visit an embassy
Visit someone in jail

Here’s a good one: the Democratic National Convention required anyone entering the arena during their quadrennial event, to have photo identification - delegates, volunteers, arena employees, Democrat party leaders, yet that very political party believes it is racist to ask for identification to cast one’s ballot on Election Day. Hypocrisy much?

Here’s a tricky one for the Islamo-Marxists: if, as they believe, it is racist to require voter identification, is it racist to expect and request that same ID to enter a bar, club, or other drinking establishment, all of which have age requirements? If no ID is needed, how do such establishments avoid serving underage patrons?

And one more to really stump the Islamo-Marxists: in order to purchase a cell phone, or sign up for a phone plan one must have identification. Is it racist to expect to see identification when signing up for a cell phone plan? In this day and age, with the exception of the Amish, roughly 99 percent of American adults have a cell phone. If they can afford a cell phone, they most certainly can afford a state identification.

Asking for identification for any of the above instances is not racist. Asking for that same identification on Election Day is also most certainly not an act of racism. Those who say it is, are the real racists, and they do not deserve the votes of those they assume are incapable of procuring identification. (And we all know what happens when one assumes.)

Now that it has been established it is not racist to require identification to vote, and that Blacks and Hispanics are just as capable as anyone else to procure identification and not be disenfranchised, let’s solve this so-called problem for women. Former Vice President Kamala Harris said married women will be disenfranchised by HR 7296. Harris said that when a woman gets married and changes her name she won’t have matching forms of ID. In order to get married both parties need to present identification. Then the hall or records, county clerk’s office, or whatever government entity, issues a marriage license or certificate with whatever names the couple will officially use. That form will have both names on it and will be useful to change the name on a driver’s license or passport and women will not be disenfranchised. Are you still with us Mrs. Harris?

The only people who will be disenfranchised, much to the Islamo-Marxists chagrin will be the illegal aliens. They broke the law crossing the border to invade the United States in the first place. They should never have any rights in the United States except the right of return to the country of their origin. By requiring legitimate photo identification of American citizens of voting age, American elections in all 50 states will be on the path to fraud-free elections. 

Requiring photo ID will protect the franchise for every American man and woman, Black, White, Hispanic - equally and fairly. One American voter with proper identification, one vote. Call your United States senators and politely demand they support HB 7296. The Senate switchboard number is 202-224-3121. Oh, and by the way, in order for every House member to vote yea or nay on this and every bill before them they are required to present their House ID. Think the Democrats see the irony there?

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.