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.
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