Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Joins NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch for Security Briefing Ahead of United Nations General Assembly
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good afternoon. I am glad to be standing alongside Commissioner Tisch and NYPD leadership as we share our plans to ensure that the upcoming United Nations General Assembly is safe and secure. I would like to thank Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the New York Field Office of the Secret Service, and Nicholas Fanelli, special agent in charge of the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, for joining us today as well as for all of their work toward this same endeavor. In the coming days, thousands of global heads of state, diplomats, advocates and civil society representatives will arrive here in New York City. They will convene, debate and negotiate at the United Nations Headquarters along the East River. Foreign representatives from across the world will embark upon the challenging, but always worthwhile, pursuit of international cooperation. What an honor it is for New York City, a city that so proudly reflects the world through the languages we speak, the food we eat and the people who call it home, to serve as the backdrop of this work. And yet, we know that New York City is always a target, and especially so when thousands of international representatives are present. That is why City Hall and the NYPD have been working closely with our federal partners for the past few months to prepare for this event and to ensure the safety and security of foreign visitors, of New Yorkers and of our city. I would like to take this opportunity to share the details of some of those preparations. First, the U.S. Secret Service and the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service will work with the NYPD to protect foreign dignitaries. They will remain in communication with the NYPD throughout the General Assembly. I want to be clear: There are no known specific or credible threats against the United Nations General Assembly or our city at this time. However, our security posture will be elevated out of an abundance of caution. This is standard procedure. New Yorkers can expect to see a visible increase in officers deployed across our city, as well as a heightened police presence surrounding the United Nations building. New Yorkers on the East Side of Manhattan should expect to see a whole-of-department response, with NYPD assets deployed on the ground, in the air and on our waterways. I know that for many New Yorkers, the General Assembly is more synonymous with questions around traffic. When the world visits New York City, our streets are inevitably impacted. New York City DOT has issued a gridlock alert beginning on Sept. 21 and ending on Sept. 25. There will be rolling pedestrian and vehicle closures both surrounding the UN building and across the city as delegations travel. At certain times, portions of the FDR will be closed. New Yorkers can also expect disruptions to ferry service during this period of time. I want to encourage everyone traveling in Manhattan to use public transportation wherever possible and to allow for extra travel time. And I want to thank New Yorkers in advance for their patience. For additional updates on this event, I encourage New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692. Both the NYPD and NYCEM will also be sharing real-time changes via their social media accounts. Our city has hosted the U.N. General Assembly many times before, and we have been able to do so thanks to the dedication and hard work of the NYPD and thousands of city workers. I want to thank in advance every member of the NYPD, every single person who has devoted themselves to protecting their fellow New Yorkers, and every city worker who is working to make this event a success. Now, I would like to hand things over to Commissioner Tisch to provide New Yorkers further specifics of our plans.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe're proud to be the host of the United Nations General Assembly, and we're proud because what this event represents is also a recognition of the fact that we are all part of something larger than ourselves. We are having countries from across the world come here, and I think as you've heard it from many who've come to this podium today, it is in the hopes and the spirit of international cooperation. Now, my job as the mayor is to ensure that the impact to New Yorkers is as minimal as possible in terms of their ability to go from point A to point B, and we will never be satisfied with what we are delivering. We'll always look to make it a little bit easier each and every day. Today, I come to you on the day we've filled in our 200,000th pothole. So, it's making sure the streets are smoother, people can move across them, and I think to what both I and the commissioner have also is that people — encouraging people to use mass transit in this time. Because it is going to be serious gridlock over the course of those days.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThe conversations that I've had with the PD have been purely on standard preparations for this event, as well as standard preparations for keeping New Yorkers safe. And I am fully confident in our police department's ability to do so, and I'm fully confident in their ability to do so each and every day, even outside of the General Assembly.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI will have a few meetings that we're in the process of setting up at this time that we'll share more details about soon. When it comes to the president, we continue to have a conversation about how best to deliver for the city, and that is a conversation that has been done in person, it's been done over the phone, and it will continue so long as either of us have the ability to deliver for this city. Thank you. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Joins NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch for Security Briefing Ahead of United Nations General Assembly.