Mamdani adviser’s past remarks on protest violence resurface

Controversial Remarks by Mayor Mamdani’s Adviser Resurface

One of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition advisers on crime, Tamika Mallory, made controversial remarks during a rally in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. Footage of her speech has recently resurfaced.

Mallory, who was part of the mayoral transition’s Committee on Community Safety, expressed indifference to the destruction of a department store. She stated, “I don’t give a damn if they burn down Target, because Target should be on the streets with us calling for the justice that our people deserve.”

She continued, “Don’t talk to us about looting. Y’all are the looters. America has looted black people. America looted the Native Americans when they first came here, so looting is what you do. We learned it from you. We learned violence from you.”

Mallory added, “The violence was what we learned from you. So if you want us to do better, then, damn it, you do better.” Her comments gained attention on social media over the weekend.

Although Mallory is a former Women’s March leader, she did not secure an official position in the Mamdani administration. Her remarks are part of a pattern of controversial statements from advisers linked to the Democratic socialist mayor.

Recently, Catherine Almonte Da Costa resigned shortly after being appointed as the city’s director of appointments. Her resignation followed the discovery of antisemitic comments on social media. These included remarks about “money hungry Jews” and defunding NYPD “piggies.”

Additionally, Cea Weaver, a new tenant advocate, faced criticism for calling homeownership a “weapon of white supremacy.” She also received backlash for her comments on gentrification in her Brooklyn neighborhood, despite being a white middle-class transplant.