3,500 Lawyers Call on Mamdani To Dismiss NYPD Commissioner Tisch Over Policing at Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations
More than 3,500 New York City public defenders and legal services attorneys have urged Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to remove Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch when he takes office next week, arguing that recent policing policies have expanded surveillance and enforcement against political protest, Ynet reports.
The demand was issued in a public statement by ALAA‑UAW Local 2325, which represents the bulk of the city’s legal aid workforce. The union said that the New York Police Department under the direction of Tisch, who is Jewish, gave particular attention to pro-Palestinian protests, and the union alleges that policing of these demonstrations had become more aggressive.
According to the statement, union members have represented clients arrested during labor actions and demonstrations where police monitored picket lines, detained participants, and intervened in protest activity.
The statement further raised concerns about Tisch’s personal and professional background, noting her ties to the Tisch family and the family’s involvement with the New York City Police Foundation, which funds NYPD initiatives, technology projects, and international cooperation programs. The union linked those relationships to the expansion of surveillance tools, protest-policing strategies, and internal disciplinary decisions during her tenure.
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Mamdani has previously said he intends to keep Tisch in the role. The union’s statement said that retaining her would conflict with campaign promises on policing reform and urged the incoming mayor to reverse that position before formally assuming office.
The mayor-elect has vowed to revamp policing in New York City and to devote $1 billion to establishing the Department of Community Safety, which would curtail duties currently performed by police officers and put them in the hands of civilians.
Concerns over policing and public safety are unfolding against a documented rise in antisemitic incidents in New York City. According to NYPD statistics, anti-Jewish hate crimes accounted for more than half of all reported hate crimes in the city in 2024, with roughly 345 incidents recorded—about one every day.
Jewish organizations say the spike has included harassment, vandalism, and physical assaults, as well as repeated targeting of synagogues and visibly Jewish individuals. The surge has coincided with months of large-scale anti-Israel demonstrations, including the protest encampment at Columbia University, where Jewish students and faculty reported intimidation and exclusion.
