Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good afternoon, everyone. I want to thank Commissioner Tisch, Chief of Department Mike LiPetri, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner, as well as NYPD leadership for joining me today as we discuss our plans to keep New Yorkers safe over the coming days.
On Friday, New Yorkers across the five boroughs will come together in solemn remembrance of the horrific terror attacks of 25 years ago. And that evening, our Jewish neighbors will gather in shuls and at dining room tables in shared observance of the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. On the same day, New Yorkers will both look to our past and forward towards the future. And as they do so, we will ensure that wherever they are, they are safe. Our administration and the NYPD have been preparing for months to ensure the security and well-being of every New Yorker on September 11th.
I want to begin with our plans to safeguard those in Lower Manhattan. First, I encourage all New Yorkers to avoid driving downtown. There will be significant street closures around Ground Zero. As we prepare to welcome dignitaries to Ground Zero to observe the memorial and reading of the names of those who were killed, the NYPD and Secret Service will be implementing heightened security measures. Fencing will be installed to surround the memorial site and other locations in Lower Manhattan. There will be security screening for anyone invited to the memorial.
Please remember that this event is not open to the general public. Those without an invitation will not be allowed to enter. The 1 train will bypass World Trade Center-Cortlandt. New Yorkers can expect to see an expanded police presence both around Ground Zero and high-traffic locations downtown. I want to thank New Yorkers in advance for their patience and understanding towards any travel-related disruptions they may face on the day.
At sundown, the High Holidays will begin. Hundreds of thousands of Jewish New Yorkers will dip apples into honey, blow the shofar, reflect on the year that passed and begin 5787 with sweetness. And yet we know that for many Jewish New Yorkers, there have been moments of immense sadness over this past year. Too many of our neighbors have been the victims of antisemitic hate crimes, and too many are understandably afraid to come together and celebrate openly.
I want to speak directly to our Jewish New Yorkers now. Your safety during these sacred days is of the utmost importance to our administration, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that you can observe the holiday securely. There will be an increased NYPD presence outside of synagogues across the five boroughs, as well as other Jewish religious and cultural locations. And as we look ahead to Friday evening, NYPD personnel will continue monitoring for any threats both online and in person.
Let me be clear: There are no current known specific or credible threats against New York at this time. 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.
I encourage New Yorkers to sign up for NotifyNYC by texting NOTFIYNYC to 692-692, and to also monitor both the NYPD and NYCEM social media accounts for any additional updates.
I look forward to this day occurring seamlessly and occurring safely, and I want to thank every member of the NYPD and every city worker in advance who have devoted themselves to serving and to protecting their fellow New Yorkers. Now I would like to invite Commissioner Tisch to share further updates and updates on our plans. Thank you.
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch: Good afternoon, everyone. We are here today to discuss, as the mayor said, two major NYPD security operations that will unfold across New York City in the coming days. This Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and as New Yorkers gather to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost that day, we expect family members, dignitaries and other invited guests to attend the commemoration at the 9/11 Memorial, and you will see a massive security operation in place.
That operation reflects both the significance of the 25th anniversary and the attendance of dignitaries, former presidents and other senior officials. The NYPD will have a significant presence throughout Lower Manhattan, working alongside the United States Secret Service and our federal, state and local partners to secure the memorial site, protect those attending the ceremony and maintain public safety throughout the surrounding area.
There will be layers of security that are highly visible and others that the public will not see. New Yorkers can expect to see uniformed officers throughout the area, along with members of our Counterterrorism Bureau heavy weapons teams and other specialized resources deployed as part of the operation. Our counter-drone teams will also be deployed in Lower Manhattan as another layer of security around the commemoration.
The ceremony is not open to the general public. And because of the security footprint around the site, New Yorkers should expect significant traffic and pedestrian restrictions throughout Lower Manhattan.
The United States Secret Service will install security fencing on the east side of West Side Highway from Liberty Street to Fulton Street, as well as around the perimeter of the 9/11 Memorial site.
Beginning on Friday morning at 6 a.m., street closures will go into effect. No vehicular traffic will be allowed south of Canal Street to Battery Place and from Broadway over to West Street. Southbound vehicular traffic will be open on Broadway with a ban on all trucks. The Hugh Carey Tunnel will remain open, and cars can exit south for access to the FDR Drive.
For invited guests attending the ceremony, security screening entrances will be located on Greenwich Street, at Vesey Street and at Liberty Street. Pedestrian crossings will remain available on Church Street, at Barclay and Liberty streets, and on West Street, at Murray and Albany streets.
And I want to emphasize one important point for everyone attending: Firearms are prohibited at this event.
As the 9/11 commemoration concludes Friday, another major security operation will already be underway across the five boroughs. At sundown that evening, Rosh Hashanah begins, marking the start of the Jewish High Holy Days.
Over the following days, Jewish New Yorkers will gather with family and friends and fill synagogues across the city. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are solemn days of reflection and of renewal. This year, they also come at a time of heightened concern for Jewish New Yorkers.
Even as shootings and murders have fallen to historic lows, hate crimes are moving in the wrong direction through the first eight months of this year. Confirmed hate crimes citywide are up 16 percent, and antisemitic hate crimes are up 9 percent. And once again, more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in New York City have targeted Jewish New Yorkers, even though Jews make up only about 10 percent of this city's population.
Those numbers are deeply disturbing, and we've seen these incidents play out across this city. Just a few days ago, an individual disrupted Shabbat services at Central Synagogue and assaulted a congregant and a member of the synagogue's security team. And in July, we saw a Jewish man stabbed outside a synagogue on the Upper West Side.
Since Oct. 7, our intelligence community has also tracked threats and disrupted plots directed at Jewish institutions here in New York, including alleged plans for attacks against a Manhattan synagogue and a Jewish center in Brooklyn. So, I want all Jewish New Yorkers to know this: You have a partner in the NYPD now and throughout the year. As of today, there are no specific credible threats directed at High Holy Day celebrations in New York City, but we remain vigilant.
There will be assets you see and others that you don't. Our Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau is watching the threat environment here at home and around the world, working closely with our federal, state, local and international partners to identify emerging threats and direct resources where they are needed.
Our Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating acts of antisemitic hate and pursuing accountability. As in years past, you will see an increased NYPD presence around synagogues, yeshivas and other sensitive locations. Across the five boroughs, we will deploy additional uniformed foot posts and dedicated house of worship patrols.
Precinct commanders and Community Affairs officers will continue working directly with clergy and institutional leaders to develop and hone security plans tailored to their communities, while traffic personnel monitor conditions around houses of worship.
So, whether New Yorkers are gathered Friday morning to remember those we lost 25 years ago or entering a synagogue that evening to welcome the new year, they should know that the NYPD will be there. Thank you, and we will now take some questions.
Question: [Inaudible].
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I have heard from Jewish New Yorkers of the fear that they have in light of the rising antisemitic hate crimes that we've seen over the past few years. And you just heard it from the commissioner: Jewish New Yorkers comprise anywhere between 10 to 12 percent of our city's population and yet comprise a majority of the victims of all hate crimes. And that is unacceptable. And any act of antisemitism is unacceptable.
And what we say to Jewish New Yorkers is that whether it be for the High Holidays or whether it be for any day, it is our responsibility to ensure that they are safe and we are going to use every single tool at our disposal to deliver exactly that.
Police Commissioner Tisch: Of course, I have had numerous conversations with Jewish New Yorkers where they have expressed fear about walking around the city openly identifying as being Jewish, going to shul on Shabbos or for the High Holy Days. I have also had a number of conversations where Jewish New Yorkers have expressed to me their thanks both to the security personnel working in their communities as well as the members of the NYPD.
As I have said to so many of them standing at so many synagogues, there are 35,000 noble members of the New York City Police Department willing to risk their own lives for that of a stranger. And the New York City Police Department has put together a robust plan to work with security personnel at synagogues, Jewish cultural institutions, yeshivas and the Jewish community and has a real partner in the New York City Police Department.
Question: I have a question for Deputy Commissioner Weiner. Can you tell us a little bit about the threat picture, where we are right now, being as one of the anniversaries of 9/11? Can you talk a little bit about whether or not we are safer today than we were back then, and so why and what is the rationale for doing so?
Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner, Intelligence and Counterterrorism, Police Department: The threat is quite different from where it was 25 years ago. It's decentralized geographically with the rise of al-Qaeda and ISIS affiliates globally. It's diversified tremendously ideologically. Now we're not primarily dealing with al-Qaeda or even al-Qaeda-ISIS, but a proliferation of threats coming from conspiracy theories, grievances, nihilistic violence, far-left, far-right, anti-government [and] all of those things.
It's a much more individualized and idiosyncratic threat, which means that we have to be on our toes. A lot of the tripwires that we established in those early years post-9/11 had to be altered, and that's just what we've done here at the NYPD, working with partners. We have to be forward-leaning and very much everywhere, all over the place, to confront this new, modern 2026 threat, which is exactly what we've been doing.
Question: Commissioner, I know you don't normally share the size of the appointments, but I am curious how this year's ceremony compares appointments-wise to previous anniversaries, as well as other large events, like, say, New Year's Eve. [Inaudible].
Police Commissioner Tisch: So, as you've heard me say, in preparation for so many events this year, we have amped up or increased our deployments for large events this year, particularly since the start of hostilities in Iran. And so, yes, our deployment this year at the World Trade Center for 9/11 will be larger than it has been in previous years, as will be our deployment this year for the High Holy Days at shuls and yeshivas and Jewish cultural institutions, just based on the realities of the world that we live in today.
