Socialist Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, has found himself embroiled in a heated political battle following the release of a policy document that has been widely criticized as racially charged. His proposal, titled ‘Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners,’ suggests shifting the city’s property tax burden onto wealthier, whiter neighborhoods, a plan that has drawn sharp accusations of racism from prominent political figures and media outlets.
Mamdani, who made history by defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a stunning primary upset, has positioned housing affordability as a central issue in his campaign. The policy document argues that the current tax system disproportionately benefits affluent, White homeowners in Manhattan and affluent Brooklyn areas by allowing them to pay less due to outdated assessment caps. In contrast, Black, Latino, and immigrant homeowners in outer boroughs like Queens face higher taxes and are at greater risk of foreclosure, according to the proposal.
The plan calls for reducing the taxable portion of property values citywide while increasing tax rates in wealthier areas. The result, the campaign argues, would be lower tax bills for lower-income neighborhoods and higher ones for affluent ones — a distinction the document frames as ‘richer and whiter.’ However, this racial framing has been met with fierce criticism. Political commentator Eric Daugherty called the proposal explicitly ‘racist’ on X, while the New York Post editorial board slammed it as ‘pure racism.’ Mark Levin, a prominent conservative broadcaster, also weighed in, sharing a New York Post story and labeling Mamdani as ‘racist’ as well.
Mamdani’s campaign has defended the policy as a necessary step toward addressing systemic racial and economic inequities. The document also highlights racial disparities in issues like deed theft and ‘tangled titles,’ which create legal uncertainty for homeowners, particularly in predominantly Black neighborhoods. To address this, Mamdani is proposing a $10 million ‘Tangled Title Fund’ to help residents clear legal titles and secure full homeownership rights.
Further, the policy criticizes the city’s tax lien sale system, which sells unpaid property taxes to private trusts at a discount, often leading to home foreclosures. The document argues that this system disproportionately harms Black, brown, and working-class communities, with the city being six times more likely to sell a tax lien in a Black neighborhood. Mamdani promises to end the system on his first day in office, replacing it with a new tax collection model that allows for payment plans and debt management.
In addition to his housing proposals, Mamdani has outlined plans for constructing 200,000 publicly-subsidized affordable homes and implementing multi-year rent freezes for 2.4 million stabilized tenants. Critics, however, argue that these proposals could exacerbate existing tensions in New York’s rental market by reducing supply and driving costs up. As the race for New York City mayor intensifies, Mamdani’s plan has sparked a broader debate about the role of race in public policy and the feasibility of his ambitious housing agenda.