New York City Mayor Eric Adams has faced mounting criticism as he lambasts his Democratic mayoral opponent, Zohran Mamdani, for attending only the funeral of fallen NYPD officer Didarul Islam, despite previously ignoring other officers who died during Mamdani’s time in the New York State Assembly. Adams, a former NYPD captain, accused Mamdani of being inconsistent with his prior calls to defund the NYPD, suggesting his attendance at Islam’s funeral was politically motivated. This accusation has sparked renewed debate over the meaning of Mamdani’s past rhetoric and its implications for public safety in New York.
Mamdani, who has served in the New York State Assembly since January and recently returned from a trip to Uganda, did not attend the funerals of six NYPD officers who died in the line of duty from 2022 through March 2025. Adams emphasized the lack of public acknowledgment of these losses, including the deaths of officers Wilbert Mora, Jason Rivera, Jonathan Diller, Troy D. Patterson, Lawrence Bromm, and crossing guard Krystyna Naprawa.