'You're a dead man!' Enraged family members explode at arrested male accused of fatally shooting boy, 15, at NYC playground



An enraged crowd of family members exploded with profanities and racial slurs at an arrested male accused of fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy at a New York City playground earlier this month.

Police had to restrain relatives of victim Jaden Pierre while 18-year-old Zahir Davis was being walked out of the 113th Precinct on Saturday, WCBS-TV reported.

'Look at my face! I hope they f**k you up every f**kin' day!'

Davis was then taken to his arraignment in Queens criminal court where he was charged with second-degree murder, gang assault, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, the station said.

Davis' private attorney entered a not guilty plea, WCBS reported.

During his perp walk out of the precinct, the crowd didn't hold back their anger at Davis:

  • "You're a f**kin' piece of s**t!"
  • "You're a f**kin' bitch!"
  • "You're a dead man!"
  • "How dare you do that to my nephew!"
  • "Look at my face! I hope they f**k you up every f**kin' day!"

Content warning:Profanity and racial slurs:

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Saturday morning announced Davis' arrest — noting that Davis fled to Jamaica following the deadly April 16 shooting.

"NYPD detectives assigned to the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force have arrested Zahir Davis for the senseless murder of 15-year-old Jaden Pierre in a park in Queens last week," Tisch wrote on X. "Davis fled to Jamaica following the shooting and was arrested immediately when he landed back in NYC last night."

Officials told WCBS that while Pierre was being beaten, Davis allegedly pulled a handgun from his bag and shot Pierre in the chest.

The Queens District Attorney's Office added to the station that Davis flew to Jamaica the next day "to evade responsibility," and police urged Davis' family to have him fly back home.

Davis is due back in court Wednesday, WCBS reported, adding that he faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Davis is a reputed gang member, WABC-TV reported, adding that detectives believe the shooting stemmed from previous fights between him and Pierre.

WABC also noted that detectives who reviewed cellphone video believe Davis may have been attempting to pistol-whip Pierre, but the gun went off.

The victim's older sister, 17-year-old Nellie Pierre, had harsh words for those recording video of the attack on her brother, telling the New York Daily News that "everyone there recording did nothing. They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless, and they shot him."

WABC also reported that Davis was separately charged with aggravated harassment and harassment for allegedly threatening to shoot his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child, on April 12. That was just four days before the fatal shooting of Pierre.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'Dozens of bystanders' reportedly record video while 15-year-old boy is mercilessly beaten then fatally shot at playground



"Dozens of bystanders" reportedly were recording video while a 15-year-old boy was mercilessly beaten and then fatally shot at a New York City playground last week.

Former Mayor Eric Adams posted video on X showing Thursday's deadly altercation, and the New York Daily News reported that the clip shows "dozens of bystanders ... recording" while the beatdown took place.

'They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless, and they shot him.'

The Daily News added that the video shows at least three individuals repeatedly punching and kicking victim Jaden Pierre as he tries to protect himself amid the attack.

The paper said one of the attackers is seen grabbing Pierre's hoodie and throwing him to the ground. After Pierre gets back up, one of the attackers pulls a gun and pistol-whips Pierre, and gunfire rings out, the Daily News said, adding that Pierre collapses to the ground, and the crowd runs away.

The paper said Pierre suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

The day after the fatal shooting, New York City Police posted images of an individual they said is wanted for the homicide of the 15-year-old victim.

On Tuesday, the NYPD said 18-year-old gang member Zahir Davis is the individual being sought in connection with the shooting at the Nautilus Playground inside Ray Wilkins Park in Queens, according the the Daily News.

However, police sources told the paper the shooter has connections to the Caribbean nation of Jamaica and may have fled there after the deadly altercation.

There are conflicting reports regarding why a crowd gathered at the playground that day. The Daily News said Pierre was attending a water-gun fight he helped organize over social media. WPIX-TV also said it was a water-gun fight. However, WABC-TV said the gathering was for a water-balloon fight.

The Daily News said an unidentified associate of Davis recognized Pierre from a previous brawl, after which Davis and the unidentified associate cornered Pierre against a fence, where they were caught on video beating the teen as dozens of bystanders stood by recording the attack.

Soon the shooting took place, the paper said, adding that police said forensic investigators will determine if the shooting was accidental.

"When you watch the video, he strikes him in the head with a gun, and as he comes down, the shot rings out," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said, according to the paper.

Kenny said the man who incited Thursday's attack jumped Pierre in January, and Pierre's friends retaliated by beating that same man, the Daily News reported.

Kenny also noted that Davis is part of the BG4 crew — short for Blitz Gang 4 — which operates in southeast Queens, the paper said.

At a Monday evening vigil for Pierre, New York Attorney General Letitia James said detectives had identified the shooter and urged the suspect to surrender himself, the Daily News said.

RELATED: Blaze News original: 10 times bystanders failed to help victims of brutal violence — and often recorded video instead

"I want everyone to know that the police know who shot Jaden," James said as she stood with the victim's family and hundreds of mourners just steps from the scene of the crime, according to the paper.

The attorney general added, "I would urge this gentleman to turn himself in, to surrender as soon as possible, before the NYPD gets to you. They know who you are," the Daily News reported.

Gardy Pierre, the victim's father, added the following during the vigil, according to the above WCBS-TV video: "I know how tough he was. They knew, man. That was the only way to put him down. 'Cause they know he's gonna stand up tall on 10 toes every time, man."

The victim's older sister, 17-year-old Nellie Pierre, had harsh words for those recording video of the attack on her brother, telling the Daily News that "everyone there recording did nothing. They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless, and they shot him."

The paper, citing relatives, said Jaden attended ninth grade at Eagle Academy and was looking forward to starting a new job through the city's Summer Youth Employment Program.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Illegal alien allegedly sets fire and then watches as people die in agony — but NYC officials don't want ICE to have him



An illegal alien has been accused of intentionally starting a fire in New York City that left four people dead and seven others injured. Though an alleged mass murderer, he may yet dodge federal immigration authorities, thanks to NYC officials.

Around 11:43 a.m. on March 16, Roman Amatitla, a 38-year-old Mexican in the U.S. illegally, allegedly set fire to a three-story building in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens and then, according to the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, stood by and "watched as the building burned."

'An act of mass murder.'

Firefighters discovered three deceased victims in the building: 49-year-old male Chengri Cui, 61-year-old female Shin Chie Ming, and Sihan Yang, a 3-year-old little girl. All three died from smoke inhalation, Katz's office said.

A fourth victim, 64-year-old male Hong Zhao, escaped the fire by jumping out of a window but sustained catastrophic injuries in the fall, including broken bones and head trauma. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Katz's office.

Seven others — including two firefighters, who endured a terrifying sudden fall to the basement when a stairway collapsed beneath them — were also injured on account of the fire.

The steps that the suspect allegedly took just before setting the fire are bone-chilling. According to the report from Katz, Amatitla:

  • entered and exited the targeted building multiple times that morning,
  • urinated on the outside of it,
  • crossed the street to the gas station and purchased one beer and stole another,
  • asked the gas station clerk for a lighter, but since lighters were available only for purchase, settled for a book of matches, and then
  • returned to the building, lit a piece of paper on fire, and placed the burning paper atop garbage near the stairwell.

As smoke began to billow out onto the street, Amatitla allegedly "stayed in the immediate area and watched the fire consume the building," Katz's office said. The DA characterized the deadly fire as "an act of mass murder."

Authorities believe that the suspect selected the building entirely at random, as he "had no known connection to the building or any of its occupants."

RELATED: 'Monster' suspected of brutally murdering DHS employee walking her dog is an immigrant naturalized under Biden, DHS says

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Getty Images

Amatitla has been charged with eight counts of murder in the second degree, arson in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, and petit larceny.

Despite the severity of his alleged crimes, the Department of Homeland security claims that the NYC Department of Corrections has refused to honor a request to turn him over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

"ICE ARREST DETAINER DENIED. On April 14, ICE requested the NYCDOC not release this monster from jail back into American communities. However, because of New York’s sanctuary politicians, the NYCDOC told ICE that they will REFUSE to cooperate," the DHS tweeted Friday afternoon along with an image of what appears to be the detainer request.

"This monster set fire to a building and watched as innocent people, including a three-year-old, burned to death. New York City sanctuary politicians REFUSE to cooperate with ICE and are choosing to RELEASE this MURDERER onto New York streets," DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

In a response to Blaze News, the DA's office sidestepped questions about the city's cooperation with federal authorities and said only that "the defendant is remanded and is due back in court on May 12."

An NYCDOC spokesperson told Blaze News: "The DOC processes ICE detainers consistent with local law, which defines the extent of our cooperation with federal immigration authorities."

A source familiar with the matter indicated that the NYCDOC notifies ICE about a defendant's possible release only if certain ICE warrants have been issued or the defendant has been convicted of a serious and/or violent crime within the last five years.

The DHS and the respective offices of Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) did not respond to a request for comment.

As of Monday morning, Amatitla remains in custody, NYCDOC records confirm. The jail records also note that an immigration detainer has been lodged against him.

RELATED: Mamdani nailed with backlash over comments about shooting death of 7-month-old baby girl

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Getty Images

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Damning texts expose elementary school assistant principal in cross-country prostitution scheme with porn star: Feds



A highly compensated New York City elementary school assistant principal is accused of operating a cross-country prostitution scheme, according to multiple reports.

Bond Ng, 47, was arrested Sunday and charged with enticing a person to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution, according to the New York Post.

'It's arguable that the defendant groomed her.'

Ng was released on a $150,000 bond. As part of his release conditions, Ng must stay away from the public school where he works and wear a GPS monitor, and he's restricted from leaving New York City.

Ng is an assistant principal at P.S. 16 in the Corona neighborhood of Queens. Ng earns $173,029 a year, according to public payroll records.

Ng is the supervisor in charge of "testing, school safety, technology, transportation and trips, school aides," according to the school's handbook for students and families for the current academic year.

The New York Daily News reported that Ng touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City last Friday after a trip to Cartagena, Colombia. Ng was flagged for a second inspection.

Homeland Security officers recovered two of his cell phones containing what the Daily News described as "damning text messages" between him, a porn star, and the "porn star's clients."

Citing a federal criminal complaint, the New York Times reported that Ng told investigators he was the "manager" of a woman who appeared in pornographic online videos.

The Times noted that Ng informed authorities that he arranged meetings between the Los Angeles-based porn star and her "fans" in New York, including at his luxury apartment in the neighborhood of Long Island City.

RELATED: 'Worst of the worst': Cops bust 24-hour immigrant-run brothel in NYC's notorious 'Market of Sweethearts'

The complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court stated that Ng would pretend to be the adult entertainer when communicating with potential clients.

In one text message, Ng gave a prospective client a price quote of $2,000 per hour with the porn star, along with additional fees for specific sex acts or a filmed encounter, according to court records.

"My rate is 2K lover," Ng wrote in a text message to a potential client, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors said Ng asked the porn star to fly from Los Angeles to New York to have sex with a prospective client in December 2025, but the woman was hesitant to travel because of the cold weather.

However, Ng told the adult film star that the client wanted to meet her for more than seven hours and had already paid him $10,000 for the sexual experience, according to the criminal complaint.

Prosecutors revealed that Ng texted the porn star a list of the clients and meetings that he had arranged for her, including the type of sex and the amount of money to be paid for the illicit encounters, which totaled over $20,000.

The complaint noted that the porn star arrived in New York on Dec. 28, then flew back to Los Angeles on Dec. 30, but not before texting Ng: "Thank you for letting me use your apartment."

The Times said Ng communicated with potential johns as far back as 2021.

Sources told the Daily News that the porn star is not a minor.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Amzallag said in court Tuesday that there was an investigation into whether Ng is part of a broader human trafficking operation because he took multiple short trips to Colombia, according to amNY.

Amzallag also hinted that Ng may have been "more coercive than we originally thought," and added, "It's arguable that the defendant groomed her."

Ng's defense attorney Michael Schneider declared, "The crime he’s charged with, I have to say in my 28 years as a federal defender, I have never seen prosecuted."

New York state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D), who represents District 13 in Queens, said she was "deeply disturbed by the serious allegations outlined in the federal complaint involving an assistant principal in our community."

A parent of an 8-year-old student at P.S. 16 told the New York Post, "This is very dangerous for the kids. I'm angry about it. He should never be around kids, and he should never come back here."

The Post obtained a letter sent by the school to parents that said Ng had been "reassigned" and banned from the school premises pending the outcome of the investigation.

A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education declined to offer a comment and referred questions to federal authorities, the Post said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'I have a gun; don't move!' Concealed carrier protecting his wife and kids confronts burglar — and shocked crook wises up.



The date on the indoor surveillance video reads January 19, and the time reads 12:44 a.m.

In that moment, the clip shows a break-in at a home in the affluent neighborhood of Jamaica Estates in Queens, New York. WABC-TV reported that the crew allegedly was looking to steal a luxury car's key fob.

'If they want to come back, let them.'

But the homeowner had a little surprise. He's a licensed concealed carrier — and was armed, the station said.

One of the burglars came into the home through a window, using a phone flashlight to check items in the kitchen, WABC said.

"I'm like, 'I have a gun; don't move!'" the homeowner recounted to the station.

Then the crook got lucky.

"I pull the trigger and the gun jams," the homeowner added to WABC. "By whatever divine intervention, the gun doesn't shoot."

Not that the burglar knew. Surveillance video shows the culprit running through the window where entry was gained — and the other crew members followed suit.

RELATED: Blaze News original: 10 times concealed carriers in Chicago stopped crooks in their tracks in the last year

"Both of my cars are in the driveway. My lights turned on as soon as they approached the front gate. And so they knew somebody was home. But they didn't seem to care," the homeowner recalled to the station, adding that it was the one night he didn't activate the alarm system at his residence.

The homeowner said his wife and kids also were home at the time of the break-in, and the targeted item apparently was a key fob for his luxury Bentley vehicle, WABC said.

"The detectives told me. There was a dispatch for three other burglaries. Two of them were successful; they stole another Porsche and a Range Rover," the homeowner noted to the station.

The crime spike has put on alert Jewish residents who might be on vacation for Yeshiva, WABC said.

"If they want to come back, let them. This time the gun won't be jammed. Hopefully, it won't get there. But I don't feel like I have a target on my back, because everybody here is a target — it's a collective community," the homeowner added to the station.

Police are looking for the three suspects involved in the incident, WABC added.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

NYC subway rider pays brutal price after asking fellow passenger to stop talking loudly on cell phone



A New York City subway rider was stabbed in the stomach after asking his attacker to stop talking loudly on his cell phone aboard a train Saturday morning, police told the New York Post.

The attacker allegedly responded to the request by punching the 54-year-old victim several times in the face before stabbing him in the gut, police told the Post.

'I guarantee you they were being loud on purpose to have a reason to stab someone.'

The attack occurred aboard an E train at the Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer station in Queens around 11 a.m., police noted to the paper.

The attacker jumped off the train at the station and was on the loose, police told the Post, while the victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.

The victim's daughter told the paper in a follow-up story that more police are needed in the NYC subway system.

“They’re supposed to be on the station,” the daughter, who requested anonymity, told the Post on Sunday. “I don’t really see them as much anymore.”

The paper added that the victim was "heading home from his restaurant gig" when the attack occurred.

“It’s a crazy world we live in,” the daughter told the Post as her father — a waiter — recovers in the hospital.

Commenters on WPIX-TV's Facebook post about the attack agreed:

  • "Despicable behavior!!!" one commenter declared.
  • "Sounds about right for NYC," another user said, adding that "NY needs more lenient gun laws for law-abiding citizens."
  • "I guarantee you they were being loud on purpose to have a reason to stab someone," another commenter wrote.
  • "F**king animals," another user said.
  • "This cant be true — remember when [Democrat Gov. Kathy] Hochul said it's safe?!" a commenter reacted with just a bit of sarcasm sprinkled in.
  • "I can’t anymore," another user lamented. "I just don’t get it."

Stabbing spike?

The Post said the stabbing occurred just a day after a homeless man was charged after being caught on video allegedly slashing two men in their faces on a Queens subway platform last week.

More from the paper:

Tyquan Manassa, 28, was charged Friday in connection to the Wednesday afternoon attacks on two men on the southbound platform of the E and F train at the Union Turnpike station in Kew Gardens, the NYPD said.

Manassa was identified as the stabbing suspect after cops busted him for a separate, unhinged outburst at the Ward’s Island shelter where he’d been staying Thursday, sources said.

RELATED: 'White boy,' 'cracker': Subway rider dares to glance at hollering female behind him — so she veers into beatdown mode: Cops

“Unfortunately, I feel like it happens so often that it’s kind of like we’re desensitized to it,” Fatima Shahid, 18, told the Post in regard to subway violence.

Shahid, who lives in the area, added to the paper that "it does make me feel a little unsafe. I’m glad that I don’t take the train as often as I used to. ... So I feel a little OK, but I know that somebody who does it every day would be scared and feel unsafe.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Elderly NYC man fatally shoots career criminal who allegedly lunged at him — and gets prison sentence for infuriating reason



An elderly New York City man has been sentenced to prison after he fatally shot a career criminal who allegedly lunged at him in 2023 — and for a reason many will find infuriating.

Charles Foehner, 67, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of criminal weapons possession in a deal to end his case more than two years after he fatally shot would-be thief Cody Gonzalez, who charged at him near his Kew Gardens home in Queens, the New York Post reported.

'If we respected people's constitutional right and provided practical means for citizens to exercise that right, Mr. Foehner would not be in the position he is in today.'

More specifically, Foehner will spend four years in prison after admitting to carrying an unlicensed revolver, the paper said, adding that Foehner's attorney blasted the city's "draconian" gun laws.

The Post said the Queens District Attorney's Office decided not to prosecute Foehner — a retired doorman — for Gonzalez's killing after he told police that he defended himself from a mugger who lunged at him late at night holding what looked like a knife, except it was a pen.

More from the paper:

But prosecutors slapped Foehner with a slew of weapons raps for the unlicensed handgun and for an arsenal of illicit handguns, revolvers and rifles inside his home in the quiet neighborhood.

Foehner took the plea deal to avoid a trial, where he faced 25 years in prison on gun charges that are not hard to prove, said his attorney Thomas Kenniff after Thursday's hearing in Queens Supreme Court.

Kenniff called Foehner a "hero" who was put in an "impossible position" by what he called "draconian" Big Apple gun laws that make it difficult for "law-abiding citizens" to obtain permits to carry firearms.

"If this was a state and a city that had its affairs in order, Mr. Foehner would be getting a plaque, not a prison sentence," Kenniff told reporters on the courthouse steps, the Post said.

Foehner's attorney added that lawmakers in New York City and the state capital have "repeatedly frustrated the rights of law-abiding Americans, New Yorkers, that possess firearms," the paper reported.

The Post said attorney Kenniff is known for successfully defending Marine veteran Daniel Penny from charges of fatally choking a homeless man who threatened New York City subway passengers in May 2023.

"If we respected people's constitutional right and provided practical means for citizens to exercise that right, Mr. Foehner would not be in the position he is in today," Kenniff also said, according to the paper.

RELATED: 7-Eleven hands down unthinkable punishment to clerk after she shoots knife-wielding thug who attacked, strangled her

Following his arrest on the heels of the 2 a.m. fatal shooting in a driveway near his home at 82nd Avenue and Queens Boulevard, Foehner told police he had been carrying the gun in question to protect himself from crime in New York City, the Post noted.

More from the paper:

Security footage showed the alleged robber Gonzalez — who had at least 15 arrests dating back to 2004 and a record of mental illness — continuing to charge at Foehner even after the senior pulled his gun.

Foehner took the deal Thursday with the understanding that he'd be sentenced to four years in prison at his sentencing date Jan. 14, his lawyer said.

Until then, he'll remain "at liberty" and will be able to celebrate Christmas with his wife, Judge Toni Cimino ruled — over objections from the Queens DA's Office, which had pushed for him to spend the holidays at Rikers Island.

"While we very much respect DA Melinda Katz and the fine prosecutors she assigned to this case, we were disappointed that the DA's Office sought to have Charlie remanded before sentencing," Kenniff noted Thursday, according to the Post. "We are grateful that Judge Toni Cimino agreed to let Charlie rejoice with his wife in the light of this Christmas season before he begins his sentence."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

13 thugs chase, stab, beat, rob teen boy on his way home from school in NYC. They make off with his sneakers — worth $350.



A 15-year-old New York City boy spoke out from his hospital bed this week after police said a group of 13 suspects — also teenagers — attacked and stabbed and robbed him on Oct. 22.

Police said the boy was on his way home from school in Jamaica, Queens, when the broad-daylight attack occurred at the intersection of 160th Street and Hillside Avenue, WCBS-TV reported.

'What happened to my son is horrific.'

With his mother by his side, the victim recounted to the station the words of one of his attackers.

"Give me all your clothes, whatever you're wearing, your shoes," the boy recalled one of the mob members telling him, WCBS noted.

He then told the station, "I [started] running. After that, they pushed me and stabbed me."

The vicious attack left the 15-year-old with severe stab wounds, broken bones, bruises — and needing surgery, the station said.

After all that, WCBS said the suspects stole the victim's sneakers — worth $350.

"I was shocked to see my son in this condition," the boy's mother told the station in her native language of Punjabi. "What happened to my son is horrific."

RELATED: Video: 5 thugs repeatedly stomp, punch boy, 15, on busy NYC street — and steal his sneakers. Crime expert says there's 'basically nothing you can do to these kids.'

Local activist Japneet Singh told WCBS the attack took place on "a major avenue, major corridor" and that "if that can happen to this boy, it can happen to any of our children. We have to make sure we protect our kids."

While the boy has months of recovery ahead of him — including three surgeries — his mother told the station she hopes those responsible are caught. Meanwhile, she added to WCBS that she's not leaving his side: "Ever since he was attacked, I've been here with him day and night."

Police told WNYW-TV that detectives are reviewing surveillance video from the area to identify those involved.

Those with information about the attack are urged to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477), WNYW said, adding that tips can be submitted confidentially online or by text.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Socialist Mamdani promises to 'Trump-proof' New York City, expel ICE



As evidenced by President Donald Trump calling Rep. Jasmine Crockett "the future of the Democrat Party" on Friday morning, Democrats have been at a loss for direction since Trump's inauguration. However, New York's self-proclaimed socialist mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, has recently been making waves in the largest city in America.

Mamdani launched what he called the "Five Boroughs Against Trump" rally tour on Monday, speaking at locations in each borough throughout the week. He finished the tour of the boroughs on his home turf in Queens on Friday.

'As we gather on an island, where nearly 1 in 4 were born outside of this country, an island where 30% of its residents speak a language other than English, it's an island that we know is not immune from this horrific crackdown.'

From messages of "hope" and affordable living to attempts to connect Andrew Cuomo with Trump, one issue stood out among all others: immigration. Born and raised in Uganda until age 7, when his family moved to America, Mamdani made clear that he would do everything in his power to protect New York City's "sanctuary city" status and resist Trump's immigration policies.

RELATED: Exclusive: Vance on Mamdani: ‘Who the hell does he think that he is?’

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Friday morning in Queens, Mamdani took a final jab at the Trump administration in a message of defiance: "Today marks the fifth and final day in our Five Boroughs tour of this city, and standing up against the Trump administration's vision and the way in which it mandates an attack on the very fabric of the city that we call home," Mamdani told the crowd at the 32BJ Service Employees International Union in Richmond Hill.

In Staten Island on Wednesday, Mamdani took aim at Trump's enforcement of immigration law: "As we gather on an island, where nearly 1 in 4 were born outside of this country, an island where 30% of its residents speak a language other than English, it's an island that we know is not immune from this horrific crackdown."

Mamdani's platform website lays out a plan for "Trump-proofing NYC": "He'll ensure our immigrant New Yorkers are protected by strengthening our sanctuary city apparatus: getting ICE out of all City facilities and ending any cooperation, increasing legal support, and protecting all personal data."

"Comrade Mamdani is the American people's worst nightmare," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News earlier this week. "The American people have repeatedly rejected the communist agenda, and the more Mamdani shares his radical policies, the more the American people will recoil."

Mamdani's campaign and the White House did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A progressive bonfire of the vanities, ‘Mad-Mani’ style



New York City has met many challenges in its history as the capital of capital.

The constant problem that surrounds the city is that with great wealth comes great political profligacy. It is not the first time New York has found itself staring down a time for choosing at the barrel of a gun.

Trump hasn’t yet nicknamed Zohran Mamdani ‘Mad-Mani,’ but whatever he’s called, he’s a real threat to the city.

Tom Wolfe captured the “radical chic” and “mau-mauing” of the compromised big-city life in America, most obviously in San Francisco and New York. But Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his capable chieftains snuffed out the bonfire of the vanities through such commonsense policies like fixing broken windows policing, CompStat, and welfare to work — commonsense policies that fueled an urban renaissance, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg inherited, embraced, and built upon over his three terms.

Memories are short

Somehow, New York voters forgot what unbridled crime in the streets and rampant racialist and redistributionist policies in city hall did to their quality of life. And so they elected Bill de Blasio as mayor. As promised, he swiftly began dismantling the regime of good governance that had made the city great again.

Eric Adams was elected precisely because the people of New York City wanted a return to law-and-order sanity after eight years of de Blasio’s progressive dumpster fire. Sadly, Adams proved to be too ethically compromised to effectively resist the flood of illegal immigrants — many of whom were dispatched on border state buses — who filled the Port Authority. Housed in luxury hotels at taxpayers’ expense, they tested New York City’s sanctuary resolve.

Motivated by his political survival instincts, Adams’ spine stiffened. Conveniently, he was summarily whacked with a federal indictment. “More lawfare!” said his defenders. “Just following the facts where they lead,” countered the Justice Department careerists.

Nevertheless, Adams and Donald Trump found common purpose — and this triggered Democrats in general and progressives in particular. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), naturally, called for Adams to step down “for the good of the city.” You know, the new mantra of the left: guilty until proven innocent.

What are the political odds of Mayor Adams winning against the Democratic Party blob that has just nominated 33-year-old anti-Israel, Marxist Zohran Mamdani as its mayoral nominee? Not good. Right now, far from a coin toss.

RELATED: Mamdani’s socialist New York sounds great — if you don’t have kids

Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Adams and New York City have four months to mount a credible, winning opposition. It’s a window of political opportunity that would not exist if it were not for Trump gratuitously playing a lawfare card of his own in the form of a timely presidential pardon, giving Adams a new lease on life — and New Yorkers a last chance to inhabit a livable city.

Trump hasn’t yet nicknamed Mamdani “Mad-Mani,” so I’ll go ahead and do it for him. Whatever he’s called, he’s a real threat to the city. Peter Orszag spoke for many successful business executives — the ones responsible for New York’s financial health. Appearing on CNBC, Lazard’s CEO revealed how troubling he found Mad-Mani’s “globalize the intifada” language — not to mention the would-be mayor’s antipathy for free-market capitalism and dislike for the wealthy.

New vanguard rising

Orszag strongly hinted that his firm, and all the public and cultural goods that it underwrites, could relocate to more friendly climes. Florida beckons.

What have this longtime Democrat in good standing and others, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), been hearing from the socialist-friendly new guard?

It’s “they” — the old guard — who are no longer in charge of New York City politics. The Brooklyn progressives are running things now. Atop the pyramid is the new Adam and Eve, political power couple Mad-Mani and AOC. The vibe they send out is that they would happily have the old guard acquiesce to their agenda or move to Boca Raton.

What does this ascendant power couple hold to be shared and self-evident? For them, Israel and America are both apartheid states, and capitalism is the engine of inequality. And this anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist, anti-American power couple is trending on Instagram and just won the Democratic primary. AOC is coming for you, Chuck.

An appeal to sanity

Why do Democrats hold fast to obvious falsehoods? The answer is that they are repeating what they have been taught in school, from Head Start to college classes. This is what most American kids are being taught, unless they were homeschooled, took the Catholic school route, or went to Hillsdale College.

Schumer and Orszag know this, as do untold numbers of sensible, centrist Democrats. Many of them know the “Chicken for KFC” mindset firsthand in their own families and that their kids, grandkids, and wives are voting for this madness. The intifada chicken has come home to politically roost — and on your watch and with your wallet.

A new coalition of sanity needs to be built and built quickly. New York is worth fighting for and saving.

While conservatives and centrists were shaking their heads in mirth at the spectacle of “Dykes for Palestine,” AOC was still basking in the spotlight for successfully derailing a proposal from Amazon to build a second headquarters in Queens, adjacent to her congressional district. Not because she wanted the jobs in her Bronx district, but because she didn’t want them in New York City at all. Mind you, this was a project so beneficial to the area — it included some 25,000 jobs — that not only was Andrew Cuomo for it, but so was Bill de Blasio. AOC, though, was content to invoke the specter of “corporate greed,” which is what passes for reasoned debate among this generation of young Democrats.

RELATED: New York City’s likely next mayor wants to ‘globalize the intifada’

Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

The reality is that New York City Council, and the protest industrial complex surrounding it, has gotten a lot younger. They are the ones doing the work, organizing, showing up, and winning elections. The Democratic Party is nothing without the protest industrial complex. George Soros and his son pay well and seem to have a taste for chaos.

The progressive ramparts have their favorites. They want true believers running things.

Sorry, Chuck, they are not that into you anymore. Truth be told, they never were.

Although New York has not had a viable two-party system for a long time, when things get bad enough, New Yorkers turn to a law-and-order Republican like Giuliani or an independent like Mike Bloomberg. But do NYC voters really need to wait for all those broken windows — and the chaos it symbolizes — to materialize again before waking up?

It is time for New Yorkers’ wallets to shut tight on Mamdani and open wide for Adams. A new coalition of sanity needs to be built and built quickly. New York is worth fighting for and saving. Its future hangs on the choice those who have not yet left make now.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.