Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Briefs the Media Regarding Security for the Israel Day Parade With NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good afternoon, everyone. I want to thank Commissioner Tisch and NYPD leadership for joining me today as we look ahead to the Israel Day Parade this coming Sunday. I want to acknowledge Chief of Patrol Phil Rivera, Chief of Transit Joe Gulotta, DC Of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Wiener; Deputy Commissioner of Legal Michael Gerber; as well as parade organizer Mark Treyger, CEO of JCRC; and Phylisa Wisdom, the executive director of the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism. We expect tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to gather along Fifth Avenue for this event. And while I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe for all those who take part. As the mayor of our city, I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance. As with any major public gathering, we have a comprehensive security plan in place. We will prepare thoroughly, coordinate closely and remain vigilant so New Yorkers can participate safely. I will let Commissioner Tisch go into the operational details, but here are the broad strokes. Uniformed officers will be stationed throughout the entire parade route and across the surrounding area. There will be an increased police presence in and around Fifth Avenue. Specialized units will be on site, including units assigned to support crowd safety and rapid response if needed. I want to be clear, there are no current known specific or credible threats against the parade. We will continue to work closely across all levels of city government as well as with state and federal partners to keep our city safe. As a standard protocol for events of this scale and visibility, we will deploy NYPD Counterterrorism and Intelligence Bureau personnel. I encourage New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC by texting NotifyNYC to 692-692 and monitor both the NYPD and NYCEM social media accounts for any additional updates. I look forward to this parade occurring seamlessly and peacefully, and I want to thank all of the city workers who have prepared for Sunday. Now there are specifics to our plan, like the checkpoints that the NYPD will be maintaining and the road closures that New Yorkers should expect. I'd like to invite Commissioner Tisch to share the specifics of those plans now. Thank you very much.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn't be attending the parade, and I've made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear. And I also said on that same campaign that I would have a responsibility as the mayor of this city to ensure the safety and security of each and every New Yorker. And I don't believe that my presence as the mayor should determine whether or not any New Yorker is safe or secure. That is something we take incredibly seriously. And what we also take seriously as an administration. Is to ensure that we are delivering on not just keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe but ensuring that Jewish New Yorkers understand that they belong in this city, that they are cherished by this city. And I am proud of the work that our Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, headed by Phylisa Wisdom, has been doing in leading a first-in-the-nation municipal response to antisemitism by actually crafting an affirmative vision of how to tackle it, as opposed to just how to respond to incidents of it. And we've coupled that with an investment of more than an 800 percent increase in the Office to Prevent Hate Crimes in funding that will actually support the very programs we've seen be effective at that kind of work.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI do not believe that that bill pertains to this Sunday. However, what I will say when it comes to this parade is that I've made it very clear to the commissioner as well as to our City government as a whole that we want to ensure that we are keeping each and every New Yorker safe, that anyone who chooses to participate in this parade can do so safely and securely, and that when it come to the question of that in our city we believe that protest is sacrosanct. As is the right to safety and security, and we will deliver all of those things.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI've been happy to meet with Israelis and Palestinians in the past. I would absolutely consider doing so in the future as well. Thank you.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Briefs the Media Regarding Security for the Israel Day Parade With NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.