Deputy Mayor Renita Francois, Community Safety: Alright, good afternoon, everybody. I'm deputy mayor for Community Safety, Renita Francois, and I'm proud to join Mayor Mamdani, Commissioner Tisch, President Archibald and our many city and community partners as we prepare for one of New York City's most vibrant weekends of culture, pride, music and community. So, I'm going to turn it over to our mayor to kick us off.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Thank you very much, Deputy Mayor. I want to thank our police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, and, as I said, our deputy mayor of Community Safety, Renita Francois, for joining me here at the Brooklyn Museum to update New Yorkers on how our city is preparing for the upcoming West Indian Day Parade.
And I'm glad to be joined here by leaders both inside and outside of our City administration, beyond the ones that I've already acknowledged. We have our commissioner, Ayesha Delany-Brumsey. We have Assistant Chief Charles Minch, the commanding officer of Brooklyn South. We have our deputy commissioner for community affairs, Alden Foster. We have the parade organizer of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, President Roger Archibald, who is here with us. We have J'Ouvert organizer Yvette Rennie. We have our public advocate, Jumaane Williams. We have our Council Member Rita Joseph. We have our Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman. And we also have CMS providers and community leaders gathered here alongside us today. It is a pleasure to join all of you in this.
Now, the West Indian Day Parade is not just one of the largest parades in New York City. It is the largest Caribbean parade in North America and is one of the most joyous days of the year. On Monday at dawn, J'Ouvert will begin. Masqueraders celebrating opportunity and freedom will take to the streets even before the sun has risen. And over the course of the day, we will see Eastern Parkway transformed. The aromas of jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtail and saltfish will float up and down the roadway. It will vibrate with the sounds of soca, calypso, reggae, hopefully Charly Black and the rhythms of New Yorkers' feet as they wine and chip. And it will be filled with sequins, feathers and multicolored jumpsuits worn by New Yorkers whose roots span the Caribbean, but now proudly call the same city home.
I was fortunate to have been a part of this parade last year to share in the remarkable spirit and powerful energy that defines our city's Caribbean community. And I am proud to march again this year for the first time as mayor of our city. We know, however, that in the past, this parade has been accompanied by unacceptable violence, making it difficult for New Yorkers to celebrate joyfully and safely.
That is why City Hall's Office of Community Safety, the NYPD and our partners in the Crisis Management System have developed a comprehensive security plan to ensure that this year's West Indian Day Parade and J'Ouvert can run smoothly and safely.
Since July, the Office of Community Safety has been working alongside our CMS partners to plan a community safety operation spanning five days, five precincts and 20 zones, seven more than last year. That operation has already begun. Beginning yesterday, eight teams consisting of 337 CMS staff members and community safety volunteers were deployed at hotspot locations along the parade route and in nearby neighborhoods.
Over the next few days, they will inform New Yorkers about the role of crisis management teams, why these teams are present in their communities and what their role will be come Monday. Throughout the day on Monday, these teams will be active on the ground, conducting outreach, mediating conflicts, responding to crises and interrupting disputes before they escalate.
They will also deploy mobile trauma units in zones where large crowds gather, move and disperse to support New Yorkers and connect them to emergency services if needed. And they will be in communication with the NYPD over the course of the day as incidents and emergencies arise.
The NYPD will also be carrying out their own operations to keep New Yorkers safe. Uniformed officers will be stationed throughout the parade route and across the surrounding area. And there will be an increased police presence both on and around Eastern Parkway.
For J'Ouvert specifically, all New Yorkers who attend will be subject to a security screening, and access will be limited to 13 controlled entry points. So, it will not be the case for the West Indian Day Parade. While there are no known specific or credible threats against the parade at this time, we will continue to coordinate closely across government to ensure that New Yorkers can celebrate and be safe while doing so.
And I urge all New Yorkers to stay up to date by signing up for Notify NYC by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692. NYPD, NYCEM and our CMS partners will also be sharing additional updates across their social media accounts. With the measures that we have put into place this year, we are confident that every New Yorker will be able to celebrate this parade freely and safely. Now, I want to invite Commissioner Tisch up to share further specifics on our preparations. Thank you very much.
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch: Thank you, Mayor Mamdani, and good afternoon, everyone. The J'Ouvert Festival and the West Indian American Day Parade will bring hundreds of thousands of people to Brooklyn this weekend, and the NYPD will be out in full force. Thousands of NYPD cops will be on the parade routes and in the surrounding neighborhoods from Sunday night through Monday. This is one of our department's largest deployments of the year.
At this time, as the mayor said, there are no specific credible threats to the J'Ouvert Festival or the West Indian Day Parade, but we remain vigilant. This is the largest celebration of West Indian culture, music and pride in North America. It is a vibrant display of the rich heritage and traditions of the Caribbean people, but for too long, a select few have been mistaking the West Indian Day Parade as an opportunity to commit acts of violence.
Over the past two years, we have seen shootings on and around the parade route, endangering innocent people and overshadowing this incredible tradition. I want to be very clear: this year, there will be zero tolerance for violence of any kind. We want everyone to come out and enjoy the celebration safely. With that in mind, here are the logistics for this weekend.
First, the J'Ouvert Festival spectator access will open at 2 a.m. on Monday morning, Sept. 7. The event will kick off at 6 a.m. and run until 11 a.m., with the parade traveling on Empire Boulevard from Flatbush Avenue over to Nostrand Avenue and then down Nostrand Avenue to Rutland Road.
Street closures will begin the night before at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6, and will remain in effect until 11 a.m. on Monday. Flatbush Avenue will be closed from Grand Army Plaza to Empire Boulevard. Empire Boulevard will be closed from Flatbush across to Nostrand Avenue, and Nostrand Avenue will be closed from Empire [Boulevard] to Rutland Road.
Like at last year's J'Ouvert Festival, there will be 13 entry points along the parade route. All spectators will be screened by NYPD personnel using magnetometers before entering the viewing areas. Certain items will not be permitted in the screened areas, including drones, weapons, alcohol, coolers, backpacks, large bags, umbrellas, blankets, chairs, any item that could obstruct or interfere with another spectator's view, including large banners or flags, as well as bicycles, scooters or skateboards.
Next, the West Indian Day Parade. The parade kicks off on Monday at 11 a.m. and will end promptly this year at 5:30 p.m. That end time is deliberate, given the history of violence we have seen on and around the parade route at that hour and later. Last year, we saw three separate shooting incidents on or near the parade routes at approximately 5:35, 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., resulting in six people being shot. The NYPD was forced to shut down last year's celebration as a result of this violence.
As we stand here today, New York City has recorded 89 fewer shooting victims than last year's record lows. We are extremely proud of that accomplishment because that means 89 fewer people and 89 fewer families have to deal with a devastating toll of gun violence. This year, I want that to extend to this parade, so one of the most joyful events of the year isn't yet again marred by tragedy.
Street closures around the formation area will begin at 6 a.m. At 8 a.m., additional closures will take effect along the parade route and the surrounding streets, including Eastern Parkway from Utica Avenue to Grand Army Plaza. Then, at approximately 10:30 a.m., those closures expand. Eastern Parkway will be fully closed from Utica Avenue all the way to Grand Army Plaza, and all northbound and southbound streets feeding into the parkway will also be closed.
During the parade, marchers must stay with their assigned floats and may not move against the flow or attempt to join another group and spectators are not allowed to join the route. As with previous large-scale parades, a buffer zone will be created between the crowd and the marchers to allow for the unfettered movement of police, medical and other emergency personnel.
Supporting our officers posted on and near the parade route, there will be our Emergency Service Unit, our aviation and mounted units, K-9, counterterrorism teams, field intelligence officers, the bomb squad and more. And NYPD drones will be deployed during the celebrations to give our officers an expanded, real-time view of the crowds.
Our counter-drone team will also be working to address unauthorized drone activity. Our Joint Operations Center personnel will be monitoring fixed and mobile cameras along the route and the surrounding areas. Intelligence teams will be monitoring social media for potential threats, and response units will be deployed to investigate any reports as they come in.
As always, there will be assets that you will see and others that you won't see. While cops will be out there to keep you safe, we ask everyone to stay alert. If you see anything suspicious or something doesn't feel right, tell a uniformed officer or call 911 right away.
Finally, to the thousands of cops who will be out safeguarding this festival and this parade, thank you. While families across the city will be celebrating the last few days of summer, a summer that included the World Cup, our nation's 250th birthday celebrations, the NBA Finals, the Knicks Championship Parade, the U.S. Open Tournament and weekly festivals, you will once again be working to keep everyone safe.
You have risen to meet every challenge and done everything that we have asked of you and more. During all of it, you've driven shootings and murders down to their lowest levels in recorded history, and I am incredibly proud of the professionalism, the commitment and the resolve that you have shown all summer. New Yorkers have had a lot to celebrate lately, and you make it all possible. This weekend will be no different. Now, I will turn it over to Deputy Mayor Francois.
Deputy Mayor Francois: Alright, thank you, Commissioner Tisch. J'Ouvert and the West Indian American Day Parade are treasured traditions. They bring together families, neighbors and visitors to celebrate the extraordinary contribution Caribbean communities have made and continue to make to the life, the culture and the strength of our city. Our responsibility is to ensure that every New Yorker can enjoy that revelry safely, and that takes a true whole-of-city approach.
We could not do this work without the partnership of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, J'Ouvert City International, our community organizations and neighborhood leaders, the NYPD, our city agency partners and, of course, the members of our Crisis Management System. We are especially grateful to the local partnerships across Brooklyn that make this collaboration truly special, including the 67th Precinct and Project ECHO, East Flatbush Village and The GodSquad, the 67th Precinct Clergy Council, the 70th Precinct and DRUM, 71st Precinct and Elite Learners, the 73rd Precinct and Brownsville In Violence Out and Brownsville Think Tank Matters, the 77th Precinct and SOS, Save Our Streets.
We also want to recognize the rest of the CMS network that I did not name, and also organizations like Greater Direction, Tailor Made for a King and Lay the Guns Down, whose partnership and commitment will help make the celebration safer, stronger and more welcoming for our communities. This is an interagency, community-centered operation. City government, event organizers, trusted community leaders and residents are working from the same plan and toward the same goal: a family-friendly celebration from start to finish.
No single entity can manage every aspect of public safety at an event of this size. Safety depends on strong coordination, early communication and shared responsibility. The Office of Community Safety is helping bring together the many parts of the city's safety ecosystem so prevention resources can be deployed where they will have the greatest impact. We're coordinating with agencies, the NYPD, organizers and community partners before, during and after the celebrations.
A critical part of this effort, the Crisis Management System provides a trusted, community-based presence. Their credible messengers know the communities they serve. They engage people early, identify concerns, help calm tensions and work to de-escalate conflict before it becomes violence. This work is rooted in prevention, communication and care. It is about creating the conditions for people to celebrate freely and return home safely.
This year, we are sharpening coordination across the full event footprint and the full event timeline, from early planning to parade day operations to post-event dispersal. We are strengthening communication between city agencies, the NYPD, event organizers, CMS providers and neighborhood partners. And we are using community knowledge alongside City planning to focus outreach and prevention resources in the places where people gather, move and disperse. We're also ensuring CMS teams have clear roles, visible identification and reliable communication channels with the broader safety operation.
The goal is not simply to respond after a problem occurs. It is to recognize risk early, prevent harm where possible and ensure that the right support is available quickly when it is needed. Every New Yorker deserves to celebrate safely, whether you're participating in J'Ouvert, watching the parade with family, working in the neighborhood or simply traveling through it.
We ask everyone to look out for one another, follow guidance from event organizers and public safety personnel, report emergencies immediately and make a plan to get home safely. Safety is a shared responsibility. The choices we make to de-escalate, to check in on a neighbor, to listen to directions and care for one another - help make these celebrations successful.
Our message is simple: We want you to be road-ready and safe. New York City is ready to celebrate. We're grateful to all the partners and every New Yorker helping to make this weekend possible. And together we will ensure that J'Ouvert and the West Indian American Day Parade remain what they have always been: powerful celebrations of culture, community and pride. Thank you. And now I'm going to welcome up somebody who is not a stranger to the road, our public advocate, Jumaane Williams.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams: Peace and blessings, love and light to everyone. Labor Day is here. It's not just coming, but it's here. The only thing that could stop me from saying "Knicks in five" is probably Labor Day, so I can do a little shift. But I'm happy to be here as the highest-ranking - not just the highest-ranking Black elected, the highest-ranking Caribbean elected official. So, this is a very special day and time for me.
I always say I didn't know that Labor Day was not a Caribbean holiday until I got older because it just meant that our culture was being represented right here. First of all, thank you. I've never been here. So, thank you, mayor and commissioner. This is a great - this is an awesome space.
You know, many of us have been on the phones for weeks and for months, including my colleagues, Council Member Joseph and Hudson and Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman, with members of the administration and PD and a lot of folks. There were some tense moments, like you think there would be, but the one thing that kept everyone together is the understanding that everybody wanted two things: for [people] to be able to celebrate, show joy and be safe. And that's what moved all these conversations forward.
And the plan that's being laid out here, everyone has had a part in it. I want to thank the mayor and the commissioner for listening to the voices of the community, for listening to WIADCA, for listening to J'Ouvert City International and still listening. Even as we go up to Monday, we know there's conversations that are going to be had.
But as the commissioner said, we are in historic numbers when it comes to being safe in Brooklyn, and it's always an applause moment. If you're a victim of crime, that means nothing to you, but we are moving in the right direction, thanks to many people who are on this stage, and I want to say, we want to keep it that way.
And in keeping with that, we wanna have a historic weekend, and a historic J'Ouvert, and historic Eastern Parkway Labor Day Parade, and I believe that we can accomplish that. And really focusing on making sure that the parade starts on time - if not slightly early - and ends on time will go a long way to having that accomplished. We actually addressed some of the time issues with J'Ouvert years ago and we saw a marked difference.
I don't want people to lose sight of where this comes from. And many years ago, people of African descent who were enslaved found ways to find joy and resistance in mocking the people who enslaved them. They then found an opportunity to celebrate freedom when that freedom came. And that is the backdrop in which the celebration began.
And now we see our colors; we see our food; we see languages all on display in New York City - the world's city. And so, it is befitting that this, the largest parade in North America, is right here.
And so, it is exciting to see everyone on the stage working together to make it safe, and we can. But I never want people to forget, absent million people on this parkway, there is violence issues in this community. And we've gone a long way to addressing that. But I don't want people to pretend like just if there wasn't a parade everybody's safe, because that's not true. But our job is to make sure that this parade, that J'Ouvert, that this day and this weekend is as safe as it possibly can be, and this plan goes a long way in doing that.
My family, like we've been for years, and I have new additions now with children, are going to on that parkway, along with the rest of the million folks we're celebrating. So, I and others and everyone here want to be safe.
So, my last message is to all the folks who are going out there, all the parents, the friends, the brothers, the cousins: We have to do our part as well. And we all know people sometimes who communicate in ways that we don't want them to communicate. Have the conversation with them now. Because that violent communication cannot happen as we are celebrating who we are at a time when we need celebration and we need joy.
So, we want to co-create safety this weekend, and that means we all have to play our part.
So, everyone say with me, Safe J'Ouvert!
Crowd: Safe J'Ouvert!
Public Advocate Williams: Safe Labor Day!
Crowd: Safe Labor Day!
Public Advocate Williams: Let's turn our words into action. Thank you so much.
Deputy Mayor Francois: Thank you, Mr. Public Advocate. Now, we want to welcome up the president of WIADCA, President Roger Archibald, to say few words.
Roger Archibald, President, West Indian American Day Carnival Association: Good afternoon. Wow. I am honored to be in this space, as Jumaane Williams just indicated. He's never been on this [inaudible] before, and neither have I. It's a lovely space. First and foremost, we at WIADCA are a team of volunteers, and it's an amazing team of volunteers headed up by our chairman, Mr. Andrew Maloney, [who's] sitting in our audience.
As a volunteer organization, what that means is that we all work for free. We do not get paid not one penny, but yet we put on the largest parade in North America. For that, we deserve some thanks and appreciation from the City of New York for putting on such an amazing parade. I'd wait for the applause.
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you.
Archibald: That being said, we would like to thank our mayor, the only mayor that has ridden on a float for Labor Day. He wasn't the mayor yet, but he was up there jamming. He took the mic, he was rapping, he was bobbing to Soca music, and that's what got him elected, I dare say. So, he is near and dear to all of us in the Caribbean community, and we love him and we support him and we appreciate the support he has shown by giving us complete access to all city agencies that has assisted in getting all of our permits for this momentous occasion. For that, we thank the mayor.
We also have to thank the police commissioner because, as indicated in other discussions held at this mic - other discussions, there were several committee meetings between NYPD and WIADCA, as well as all of our other community partners, and it's really a partnership because in these meetings our concerns were listened to and they weren't just pushed to the side.
Some of them were spirited, as they should be, but they weren't given short shrift, and we appreciate Commissioner Tisch for giving us the freedom to be expressive and to push back at times when we believed that our sacred parade was being infringed upon. And for that, I thank you, Commissioner Tisch.
We have individuals who assist that are community violence interrupters. They are critically important to us; they are our partners; they assist us in getting situations kept to a minimum before they are escalated. And they need to be given the proper recognition as well, because without them we would be dealing with more instances of violence.
We must also be thankful to the folks from the 67th Precinct Clergy Council. We affectionately call them "The GodSquad," led by a good friend of mine, Pastor Louis Straker. That organization goes out into our communities, intercedes into certain situations to prevent gun violence from escalating. They are an important partner to WIADCA and to the City of New York in keeping violence at a minimum, and they must be recognized for that as well. So, let's recognize The GodSquad and Pastor Louis Straker.
At times, individuals believe that WIADCA is a one-and-done type of organization in that we are only here for Carnival. Carnival is important. Carnival is our signature event of the year. However, we are here in the community 24/7. We feed folks that are hungry. We engage senior citizens. We give them places to go in the winter when there is nowhere for them to go where they could engage in yoga, exercise, poetry. We teach children in high school, junior high, middle school how to play steel pan; how to appreciate Caribbean culture and music. And I dare say that helps keep kids from exercising some of the illicit activity that they needn't get into.
WIADCA does all of that. So, I thank the city. I thank the mayor. I thank all our partners and, of course, our elected officials. Because, as I said, we are a not-for-profit volunteer organization. Without individuals in City Council, in the Assembly, in the Senate, in Congress, we would lack the necessary funding to engage in the programs that's so vital to our community.
And I thank all of them for all of the assistance they give us year in, year out. And at times it may not be popular to assist WIADCA because they tend to, at times, think WIADCA is just Carnival, but we are not. Go to our website, www.wiadcacarnival.org , and you would see a plethora of information that shows you what we do for the community all year round.
I know my time is short and I probably should stop speaking, so I will. I thank you. I look forward to you all joining us on the Parkway. Our theme for this year's Carnival is "Mas," M-A-S, and that sends some music, action and a lot of soul. So come join us at Eastern Parkway and we will have a safe and wonderful Carnival celebration. I thank you.
Question: There's been some rumors, usually online, but some in the community are a little worried that you guys want to possibly cancel the parade in the future in favor of smaller parades throughout the year - like we've seen Independence Day, Flag Day. I just want to know if you can lay the rumors to rest that that's not being considered.
Mayor Mamdani: No. We are excited for this parade this year and for every year.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: I have a question for the police commissioner and for the public advocate. For the police commissioner, could you just highlight the differences between NYPD enforcement this year and last year? What's changed? And then for the public advocate, you alluded to some tense moments during preparations. I'm just curious if you can elaborate on what you meant by that.
Police Commissioner Tisch: For the NYPD, it's a very similar plan to the plan that we used last year. There are some different barrier configurations that we are testing out this year. We've upped the number of cops that's deployed. Basically, between J'Ouvert and the West Indian parade, Sunday night all through the day Monday, everyone in the NYPD is working. So, we have a larger deployment, and we also have different things going on with our drones, but those are the three major differences.
Public Advocate Williams: I know everyone's shocked that I had some tense conversations involving PD. That's a shocker. But really, I think when you're having conversations around safety, having conversations around culture, people play different roles, and so there's obviously gonna be tension on how much of which role do you want.
But everyone came to the conversation - everyone, including PD - [asking] how do we make this as safe as possible, and how do we make sure people are able to celebrate their culture as much as possible? And I think those two things grounded everyone.
I think WIADCA and J'Ouvert City International welcomed additional law enforcement and their tools. They definitely want to make sure that the Office of Community Safety, deputy mayor behind me, and the Crisis Management System have a larger role as well. So, I think everybody came with their tools, and we figured out what is the best plan to go forward.
And I think we'll also agree, like right after this, you don't wait as long as we normally wait to have the conversations so that we can even improve upon it. But the time issue, I think, was a big one. We found addressing the time at J'Ouvert City International really helped. So, I think there's a lot of focus in how do we get this thing started on time? Can we get it started even a little bit earlier and make sure that it gets ended on time so that we can, you know, some of the elements that sometimes happen toward later on won't. But I think it was no different than any kind of conversation you would have had with a negotiation happening.
Question: My question really goes into the fear some people have been spreading that there might still be ICE on the parkway for people who are undocumented or status insecure. So, I'm curious to know how the NYPD, the rest of the city's infrastructure might handle a situation where, you know, there might be some sort of immigration enforcement.
Police Commissioner Tisch: So, the NYPD does not engage in civil immigration enforcement, period. We do not coordinate with ICE.
Mayor Mamdani: And what I will also just add is that you heard it from the public advocate, and also before I was acknowledging elected officials - we also have our City Councilwoman Crystal Hudson, who is here alongside us.
We are all united in what this parade is, which is a celebration of the Caribbean community, without which so much of what we love about New York City would not be the city that we call home. And this is going to be a weekend, this is going to be a Labor Day, where each and every New Yorker has the space to celebrate that.
And I also just want to make my own position very clear is that ICE's actions, while they state their motivation is that of public safety, do nothing to advance that. They are a cruel agency. They're one that I believe should be abolished, and they are one that has created a real sense of fear and terror across the city, across immigrant communities.
Question: So, would you encourage people to come out and celebrate?
Mayor Mamdani: Yes, I would encourage everyone to come out and celebrate. And as you heard from the police commissioner, as you've heard from deputy mayor for Community Safety, you can come as early as those moments are to join the celebrations and really be a part of something that makes the city so special.
Public Advocate Williams: Thank you for that question. It's very important and it's paramount on everybody's mind. One, I think because there is no agreement with civil enforcement, we don't have as much information as we might have. And then two, I think it's tactically difficult for them to do some of the things they have been doing, which it may actually make it safer here.
But two, the last one is, I don't want to say there's no reason to fear any day. I don't think there's any more reason to fear to come out on Labor Day, and I think the fact that we have the mayor that we do, the police commissioner that we do, the elected officials that we do, we're going to do everything in our power to protect everyone that's here. And so, we want everybody to come celebrate, it might be a moment of reprieve in a very, very tough time.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: I wanted to ask about the Racial Equity Plan. Obviously, it's passed the executive budget, but November plan is coming up. How much is it going to shape this upcoming middle of the budget?
Mayor Mamdani: I really appreciate this question. The Racial Equity Plan is something that is critically important to our administration, and what it also outlines is the specific areas where we think we can make a real difference to what has been a legacy of a lack of equity in our city. Whether we're talking about maternal health mortality, whether we're talking about unemployment, whether we're talking about housing, these are all examples that see. And even when we speak about our foundational focuses of building affordable housing, of faster buses, of universal child care, the impacts that these also have. And finally, we made it very clear that this is an all-of-City-government approach that has to include every single agency, and so that will be something that informs our budget as we get into it.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: I wanted to ask you about a Times story today that looked into the influencer issue, and they found that this Signal chat - at least one of them that was being conducted with influencers - was set to automatically delete messages. So, I know I asked, or my colleague Madina asked you the other day about whether this had been complying with record retention laws. So, I guess my question is, do you have a sense of how that happened that these messages were being deleted? It seems like they should have been preserved. Was this chat authorized by Legal Counsel, and were these people trained?
And then my second question is - They asked for the budget and list of influencers, and City Hall didn't give this information to them. So, can you tell me why you're not releasing that info?
Mayor Mamdani: I'll just start by saying we know that our responsibility in City government is to ensure that New Yorkers receive updates about services, whether that's how to report a pothole, whether that's to sign up for a 2-K slot or how to file a 311 report. And I am proud of the work that our team has done to connect New Yorkers to those services, to keep New York informed, to reach New Yorkers across neighborhoods, mediums and as many languages as we can. And to be crystal clear, because I know that there's been some confusion in some reporting about this: City Hall has never paid a content creator or an influencer for an interview or an engagement with myself.
And as I said earlier this week, our administration will always strive to comply with all legal requirements, including those that relate to the preservation of city records. And if we find that there are any departures from what's legally required, my administration will look into it and immediately take corrective action. I'd also like to just invite up our chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, who can add a few details to your question.
Chief Counsel Ramzi Kassem: Thank you, mayor, and thank you for that question.So, there is no citywide blanket ban on the use of Signal or other apps like that. At City Hall, our policy is we have a general rule and then, of course, we have exceptions. The general rule is that City Hall employees should use the apps and the messaging apps and the communication apps that are downloaded by default on their devices and that they should come to my office if there is a need, on a team-by-team basis, to use any other app like Signal or WhatsApp or TikTok.
And so, based on that assessment, we would authorize the downloading of that application, but subject to rules and restrictions that ensure compliance with all city rules, including record retention rules. So that means for an application like Signal that has many useful features - I mean, encryption is not unique to Signal and WhatsApp. iMessages has it as well - but for an application like Signal, large group management, other useful features may be helpful for a particular team at City Hall. So, we would authorize it, but specifying that you have to disable disappearing messages to remain in compliance.
Our practice from the start of this administration has been to train and retrain City Hall staff on all these rules and restrictions. When we learned about this incident from reporting, we took immediate corrective action. And, of course, we will continue with our practice of training and retraining all staff to ensure full compliance with city rules and regulations.
Question: Is it safe to assume that this staffer received training and authorization to have Signal on her phone?
Chief Counsel Kassem: So, all City Hall staff are receiving training and retraining on a number of obligations, including ones having to do with the Freedom of Information Law and the rules that apply to the retention of City records. And we do that on a periodic basis. We do it on a repeated basis. And we will continue to do that.
Again, here in this instance, as soon as we found out from the reporting, we took immediate corrective steps, and we'll continue to look into this. And, of course, we'll continue with our program of training and retraining.
Question: I'm going to follow up on that same topic. You have an Office of Mass Engagement that kind of already does this. So, I'm just clarifying, I guess, why you would need this army of influencers when you have this Office of Mass Engagement.
I also wanted to ask you - there was a scathing letter from the monitor when it comes to Rikers and what's going on there. They accused the Department of Correction of not cooperating and not being transparent. I'm wondering, do you still, you know, why would your administration not be cooperating with a court-ordered, mandated overseer of Rikers, and do you still have confidence in the ability of the head of your Department of Corrections?
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you for these questions. I would say first and foremost, I have complete confidence in Commissioner Richards and his commitment to this work. I actually was just with him right before this as we were together on Rikers Island to commemorate the service and the sacrifice of DOC members on 9/11, close to 25 years ago. And when it comes to the monitor's letter, we are addressing those concerns, and our administration is committed and continues to be committed to working closely and collaboratively with both the federal monitor as well as the remediation manager to improve our jail system. And one of the things that that means is keeping lines of communication open, sharing information transparently and taking the steps necessary to deliver reforms.
And to your first question, what I would argue is that we need to take every step that we can to connect New Yorkers with the information about how City government can help them in their lives. And the New York Times that actually reported on a mother who had found out about 2-K because a friend had forwarded her an Instagram video about it.
So, what we're talking about here is the importance of knocking on New Yorkers' doors to let them know about their rights as tenants, informing New Yorkers at their bus stop about how there could be faster, as well as also reaching out to as many people as possible to communicate everything that our City Hall is looking to do for the people of this city. Because we do not want to say that only one medium is one by which a New Yorker should consume the news. However they consume the news, we should be there and be engaging with them.
Question: You know, influencers don't have all the oversight that maybe some journalists here have. I mean, why go to them to disseminate something? Some people may see this as propaganda coming from your administration, versus actual information that traditional forms of journalism -
Mayor Mamdani: You know, what I would say is we send the same information that we send out to a press list about an announcement that we're making - for example, about 2,000 seats available for free 2-K for the first time in New York City, here's how New Yorkers can apply. That's also what we want to share with influencers. And I think that, you know, even the term, frankly, is one that it doesn't keep up with the way that so many are engaging with media, are consuming media.
I mean, just recently, one of the most significant developments we've seen in the NBA, a $30 million fine that's being levied onto the Clippers, is a result of Pablo Torre's investigation. And Pablo Torre has been described as someone who exists out of the traditional media. So, I think that these, to me, are examples of why we should be engaging with our press, as we do. We should be engaging with anyone who a New Yorker might listen to or read.
Question: I just want to follow up on this whole issue as well because there are experts who are raising questions about the use of influencers because sometimes influencers may not be paid by New York City, but they're paid by other organizations to do the things that they do, and they question the ethical position of that, given the fact that they could be paid to do other things.
And as a follow-up to that, I'd also like to ask you whether any influencers have been paid as subcontractors from any City agency and if that's something that you think is appropriate or inappropriate.
Mayor Mamdani: I think we've seen in the past that City agencies have contracted a wide variety of people as an attempt to get their message out. When it comes to our City Hall, we have never contracted an influencer or paid an influencer for an engagement or an interview with me. And I think to your first question, Marcia, what I would say is that we are always available to speak to New Yorkers about the topic at hand, and we are looking for as many ways as possible to get that information out.
And to us, the question comes back to: Does this serve a New Yorker? And I think it just goes back to 2-K. We want to make sure that we can look back at an outreach period and say we did everything we could. And if we find that even one parent could find out about this through a radio jingle, then you know what, we have to do a radio jingle. If we find that one parent [could] find out about it through an Instagram video, it's worth doing an Instagram video.
I mean, recently we made the decision to make videos in multiple languages about the 2,000 tickets we gave away to high school students for free for Broadway plays, and what we found is by utilizing social media we were able to reach far more people about the work that the Theater Development Fund does than if we had said this isn't something that should be considered.
Question: I just wonder if you have any ethical concerns about it, given the fact that you could be using influencers that are accepting money to do other things. And does that cross an ethical line that gives you pause?
Mayor Mamdani: We are always striving to fully comply with all legal requirements. I will pass it to my chief counsel to speak about additional details of that.
Chief Counsel Kassem: And thank you for that question as well. No different from journalists, some of these social media influencers, depending on the platforms, are also subject to disclosure requirements. And so, the sorts of platforms that we're talking about typically will have disclosure requirements to the extent that they are in any way beholden to outside corporate interests, they will disclose those.
As the mayor has said, from our end, these are not paid relationships. We are disseminating information in ways that are calculated to reach a maximum number of New Yorkers, the same way we disseminate information in spaces like this one.
Question: It's not the same thing as journalists. I don't get any money from a company to push a product, but sometimes influencers do. So, I don't think you can equate a journalist with an influencer in every case.
Mayor Mamdani: I want to be very clear: The fourth estate, journalists, are a critical part of how we not only engage with the city that we love, but also how we are held to account by the city that we love. And I think the point that we are trying to share is that it is important for us to utilize every possible avenue to reach out to New Yorkers. And when it comes to those interviews and engagements with content creators who use, whether it be Instagram or TikTok or whatever social media platform that it may be, that is always premised on the topic at hand and never contingent on some kind of a contract or anything of that nature.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: I wanted to quickly follow up on the influencer's line of questioning. If you could just say what the corrective action was? Was it just that the messages were set to not disappear? Or was there any other action taken there?
Chief Counsel Kassem: Yeah, so once we learned about this particular instance from the reporting, the corrective actions that we took included reminding staff to disable disappearing messages. As I mentioned before, we do have a regular schedule of training and retraining for all staff on a number of concerns and matters, including this sort of thing, specifically compliance with record retention laws, and so we will continue with that program as we've been doing since day one. That's another part of it. And, of course, because we learned recently from the reporting that was done, we will continue to look into this matter to see if any other corrective actions need to be taken here and generally.
Question: I wanted to follow up on Politico reporting about your somewhat of an endorsement for AOC's presidential run. Do you agree with the petition you signed that AOC is the most viable Democratic candidate for 2028?
Mayor Mamdani: I think that the congresswoman would be viable no matter what decision that she makes, and I think she would make a good whatever it is that she wants to pursue. Thank you very much.
