New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, pictured in a July file photo, got a jeering welcome from thousands of Staten Islanders who turned out for an anti-crime event on Tuesday. Facing a chorus of boos, the mayor spoke for less than a minute before leaving the stage. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
By Joe Saunders August 6, 2026 at 5:38am
He spoke for less than a minute, but that was more than enough for the jeering crowd.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s attendance at a Night Out Against Crime event on Tuesday turned into a humiliating spectacle of rejection when a crowd of thousands of Staten Islanders made it clear just how unwelcome his presence was.
The chorus of boos said it all.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani tried to speak at an NYPD event in Staten Island. He got booed offstage. pic.twitter.com/rHHXBsIpKH
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 5, 2026
Mayor Mamdani got booed on Staten Island at the NYPD National Night Out event at Midland Beach, per this Facebook video. He smiled through it and kept remarks *very* short. pic.twitter.com/eswUhADDms
— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) August 5, 2026
According to the Staten Island Advance, a daily newspaper covering the New York City borough, a crowd of about 3,500 had turned out for the gathering — and gave the mayor a hostile reception.
“The reaction to Mamdani contrasted with the otherwise festive atmosphere that marked the annual community event, which is designed to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and residents while promoting public safety and crime prevention,” the newspaper reported.
State Island was the one New York city borough Mamdani didn’t win in November. If he thought he was going to be welcomed now, it was a miscalculation.
The very public rejection could bring new attention to efforts by some families of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack of 2001 to keep Mamdani from attending memorials on the upcoming 25th anniversary.
An online petition aimed at keeping Mamdani away from 9/11 memorials had gained more than 77,000 signatures by Thursday morning.
Should Mamdani cancel any plans to attend upcoming 9/11 memorials?
The Mamdani rejection wasn’t the only newsworthy twist at Tuesday’s event, though.
Local activist and Mamdani opponent Scott LoBaido, an artist known for patriotic creations as well as veterans advocacy, had planned to question Mamdani about his decision to reverse a plan to hire 5,000 new officers for the New York City Police Department, according to the Advance.
“As the mayor left the stage, LoBaido purportedly tried to approach him but was kept back by police officers assigned to the event,” the newspaper reported. “A short time later, according to the witness, LoBaido said he was not feeling well.”
He appeared to be suffering some form of cardiac arrest. The Advance reported that he was treated by EMTs at the scene with oxygen, CPR and a defibrillator.
In a Facebook video posted hours before the event, LoBaido attacked Mamdani’s record on crime in the city, and announced his own plans to be on hand for Mamdani’s visit.
“He puts the handcuffs on the cops instead of the criminals,” LoBaido said in the video.
“I’ll be there, so will some of my fellow islanders,” LoBaido said. “To once again welcome you, Mayor Mamdani, to this borough who doesn’t want you f*****g here.
“So maybe rearrange your schedule tonight. If not, come by and say hello to Uncle Scottie.”
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Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro desk editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015. Largely a product of Catholic schools, who discovered Ayn Rand in college, Joe is a lifelong newspaperman who learned enough about the trade to be skeptical of every word ever written. He was also lucky enough to have a job that didn’t need a printing press to do it.
Birthplace
Philadelphia
Nationality
American
