Mamdani Hires Architect of Plan to Replace Police with Social Workers in NYC
New York City’s newly elected socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has appointed Elle Bisgaard-Church, the architect of his controversial “Department of Community Safety” proposal, as his chief of staff. The plan she designed aimed to replace traditional police responses with teams of social workers and mental health professionals for non-violent 911 calls. Critics saw it as a dangerous experiment that would weaken law enforcement, while supporters hailed it as a humane reimagining of public safety.
Bisgaard-Church, an Ivy League–educated California native, was deeply involved in crafting Mamdani’s campaign and policy platform. She served as his top adviser during his time in the New York State Assembly and later during his mayoral campaign. Now, as she steps into City Hall, her influence will extend to nearly every aspect of Mamdani’s administration.
The Blueprint for a New Police Model
Bisgaard-Church’s “Department of Community Safety” proposal represented a seismic shift in urban public safety strategy. The $1.1 billion initiative envisioned a new department staffed with social workers, therapists, and crisis responders who would handle non-life-threatening emergencies, particularly in subway stations and public spaces. Traditional policing, under this plan, would be scaled back to focus primarily on violent crime.
The plan drew inspiration from experiments in cities like Eugene, Oregon, and Denver, where social worker response programs have been tried on a smaller scale. Bisgaard-Church reportedly consulted with public safety experts, mental health professionals, and even former NYPD Chief Rodney Harrison during development. But critics say New York’s scale and complexity make it an entirely different challenge. “The police won’t stand for this,” one retired NYPD chief warned, calling it “an untested social experiment on the largest city in America.”
A Socialist Influence at the Core
Bisgaard-Church’s ideological leanings are no secret. A proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), she helped draft the organization’s guidelines for working with elected officials. Her approach blends activist passion with bureaucratic planning—a mix that propelled Mamdani’s grassroots campaign to victory. She has said her motivation comes from a moral outrage at inequality. “I still feel daily, deeply ashamed to live in a place where we allow people to sleep on concrete at night,” she told City & State New York, describing her politics as “a choice to reject moral failure.”
Her ties to the DSA are extensive. During Mamdani’s campaign, she coordinated weekly meetings with the DSA’s New York City chapter and secured their endorsement, which was crucial to building the movement that helped elect him. Critics argue that this alignment signals a deeper shift toward socialist governance within the city, echoing policies that have historically failed in other nations.
Mamdani’s Ambitious—and Risky—Agenda
At 34, Mamdani is the youngest mayor New York has seen in generations and one of the most openly socialist. His platform reads like a wish list of progressive causes: free child care, city-run grocery stores, fare-free buses, and expanded housing initiatives. To balance the radicalism with experience, Mamdani appointed Dean Fuleihan—a veteran of multiple city administrations and former budget director under Bill de Blasio—as his first deputy mayor. Fuleihan’s presence provides institutional ballast to an otherwise experimental administration.
But questions remain about how Mamdani intends to fund and manage such sweeping programs. His vision relies heavily on state cooperation, and many of his plans would require approval from Albany, where skepticism runs deep. Even among Democrats, some are wary. Critics say the combination of idealism and inexperience could quickly collide with financial and logistical realities.
Reactions to Bisgaard-Church’s appointment have been mixed. Progressive activists celebrated the move as a sign that Mamdani intends to follow through on his campaign promises rather than moderating once in office. Conservative commentators and law enforcement leaders, however, warn that the city could be on the brink of chaos. “Replacing police with social workers may sound compassionate until you’re the one calling 911,” one observer quipped.
Some see Mamdani’s administration as a real-time test of socialist governance in a major American city—a high-stakes experiment that could either inspire a national shift or reinforce skepticism about socialism’s viability. For now, Mamdani insists that his team represents both “relentless imagination” and “a fluency of what politics has been.” But as he and Bisgaard-Church prepare to steer City Hall, New Yorkers will soon discover whether imagination can survive contact with reality.
The people in New York had better get out ASAP. The streets will be filled with blood while this rag headed asshole are trying to give therapy to armed criminals. And yes. They will be armed. The good mayor will see to that.
The rich folks are already causing a real estate boom – in Florida…
amen bro
INDEED! HOWEVER, THEY ELECTED HIM and I DO NOT SYMPATHIZE!!!!
The people in New York had better get out ASAP.
Ok then take away all of Mamdani’s policy security away and give him the Therapist to protect him. NO POLICE PROTECTION WHATSOEVER. Lets see how that works. Talks like a man with no brains.
Hey my bank is getting robbed, quick send a social worker.
HD; that does not make sense. but it’s funny.
My wife and I are in a loud tiff; send in SWAT.
Joe et al: I think the inflow to Florida may be blunted in 2025 insurance, housing prices, lousy mass transit, all are taking the toll. In June of 25, The Florida Times Union ran the story: “Are people still moving to Florida? Florida falls in rankings on list of most moved-to states. Think it may have been a USA Today story originally. Like NJ’s annual Maytag report, FL had a PODs report. As in NJ where Maytag tells a story, PODS for FL tell a story, but not the full story. I have accumulated enough wealth, and the stuff that comes with it, that I will never POD. But it does tell a story for the POD demographic. PODS says more people leaving than coming. Florida’s housing boom has turned to “balanced” where it’s a buyer’s market again. There may be a NYC influx due to political pressures, but it will be smallish and short-lived, and the same pressures may be an overall reason for the drop. The best news for FL is that average wages have increased meaning the ratio of service workers is dropping meaning more, better paying jobs, are being created. FL needs that, badly. It’s service-based economy is not sustainable as service-based alone. Fact is the Maytag report says people leaving NJ: the NJ population report says more coming, population still growing. I think you will find similar outages with FL population and the PODs report. But it does tell you about the POD people and FL, hmmmm.
Joe, or Larry, or Larjoe…. Thought I would chime in since been interested in this police defunding efforts. Talk about a false flag of fear for magarats AND a false flag of hope for progressives who can’t make it work, oye.
While politics is in play in NYC for police re-organization, Lord knows why, since this is a governance, management, and control issue, not party or even ideology. There is certainly nothing socialistic about this except US socialists are for it, and you small government ultra-conservative guys who love a tight budget want to expand police duties and budgets. What’s really funny is that “right-sizing,” and firm governance models are pretty conservative in vision.
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In my time, I have been reorganized for decades on end, mostly downsizing, as the profit-protected-profit AT&T utility became the DOW-traded, competitive company. Perhaps the largest re-organization in American history. That was some downsizing. I was Product Management, P&L, so I played with the numbers, hired, fired, and managed budget to make money. I had a bottom line and financial goals. PMs are in the business of getting things done and if Accounting said they were busy, I would hire an accountant. If I could not get legal to get my contracts fast enough, I hired a lawyer. After some time, my management would remind me I was in Product Management, these other organizations worked for me, and would downsize all my non-PM hires. Circle of life I called it. Sometimes you have to get er done and begging forgiveness is easier than missing your revenue plan.
In essence, that’s what defunding the police is. It’s about putting the resources in the organizations that should have been doing the job to begin with. It’s about police, policing, not resolving family disputes, mental health, and other non-criminal activities. The bottom line budget does not change but it may be distributed across multiple organizations for better monitoring, control, and focus. That’s the vision, not necessarily the reality.
There is no intent to drop budget, defund anything, just move the money and resources to appropriate responsibilities. There is no politics in that, or shouldn’t be.
OK —- I went beyond your story and looked at the two examples you gave. Oregon is basically a success and shut down anyway. I will post the summary shortly.
The Denver version is a success, is expanding and scaling up, but there is significant pushback on rapid expansion to be fully incorporated as the way Denver polices.
These are not great results, and the point that scaling up for NYC pretty much points to failure. At best, they should follow Denver and Oregon and run a trial. I introduced so many products that people don’t believe my resume and my biggest fear was scale, scaling up, since my markets were so large that anything I did had to be able to “go big.” It’s really tough to do well. It’s most certainly the fly in the NYC defunding effort,
I think the concept is flawed too, but not for your reasons. I think that if we focus cops only on crime, the unintended outcome is we get cops who love to focus on crime, could care less about domestic disputes, giving directions, delivering babies, or even getting cats out of trees. I think just focusing on crime makes for one dismal job attracting people who love to be dismal. And what’s the metric for success: how many criminals you find, catch, or maybe create? Kind of like our ICE Agents and look at how they are willing to act. Our star-fucking police look more like a third-world secret police force reporting to one guy, the King and willing to cross all sorts of legal and humane borders to get their numbers up, up, up.
But bottom line is IMO the idea has merit, the implementations are not banner successes and almost every version has been shut down or re-established in the police force. And NO ONE has scaled this to even smallish city-wide levels. Personally, I think if like Oregon or Denver, it will fail for NYC. If going for full scale, it will fail. Personally, I think they need a new idea or a new spin of this idea. And then run a trial. Doing the same thing that failed across the country and expecting success is defined as ……
Denver and Oregon experiences:
AI on Denver: “Denver’s Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program has shown success in handling non-violent mental health and homelessness calls by reducing certain types of crime and providing better outcomes for individuals in crisis, even as some “defund the police” efforts have faced political challenges. While the program hasn’t “defunded” the police entirely, it redirects funding to a civilian crisis response team that includes social workers and paramedics, freeing up police officers for other duties.
Program overview and outcomes
• What it is: The STAR program sends unarmed civilians, including mental health clinicians and paramedics, to respond to certain non-emergency calls, such as well-being checks and mental health crises.
• Successes:
o A Stanford study found that a six-month pilot of the program reduced reported targeted, less serious crimes (like trespassing and public disorder) by 34%.
o STAR teams have responded to thousands of calls, often handling them without police backup.
o They have had no arrests in their responses to calls, reports NPR.
o The program has been expanded with additional city funding.
Limitations and challenges
• Not a replacement for police: Program leaders emphasize that STAR is not a crime-prevention program and is not intended to replace police for violent crimes like shootings, homicides, or robberies.
• Political and bureaucratic hurdles: Some broader efforts to “defund” the police in Denver have been blocked by political and bureaucratic obstacles.
• Misunderstanding: Some confusion exists about the program’s scope, with some people wanting it to replace police entirely, which is not its purpose.
Impact on police
• Freeing up officers: By handling a portion of calls, the STAR program allows police to focus on their specific skill set, such as responding to high-level crimes.
• Force multiplier: The program is seen as a “force-multiplier” by freeing up police resources. “
And Oregon:
“Eugene, Oregon, did not implement a city-wide “defund the police” initiative that significantly cut the overall police budget. Instead, its alternative response program, CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets), was widely considered a successful model for diverting specific calls from police until its recent partnership collapse due to internal tensions and financial struggles.
The CAHOOTS Program: A Model in Decline
For over 30 years, CAHOOTS, operated by the non-profit White Bird Clinic, was nationally recognized as an effective alternative to armed police response for non-violent calls involving mental health crises, homelessness, and substance abuse.
Successes
• Call Diversion: CAHOOTS teams, consisting of a medic and a crisis worker, responded to approximately 20% of the Eugene Police Department’s (EPD) total calls for service, allowing police to focus on crime-related matters.
• Reduced Police Encounters: In 2019, out of about 24,000 calls CAHOOTS handled, police backup was requested only about 150 times, significantly reducing potentially violent encounters between law enforcement and individuals in crisis.
• Cost Savings: The program was estimated to save the city millions annually in public safety, ambulance, and emergency room costs.
• Community Trust: The program built trust within the community by offering non-threatening, person-centered interventions without the presence of uniforms, badges, or weapons.
Decline and “Collapse”
Despite its national reputation as a “beacon” for reform, the partnership between the city and White Bird Clinic ended abruptly in April 2025. The program’s success ultimately “collapsed” in its birthplace due to:
• Rising Tensions: Relations between some CAHOOTS workers (who often participated in “defund the police” rallies) and the police soured.
• Funding and Oversight Disputes: After the city moved oversight from the police department to the fire department in mid-2023, the program struggled with financial issues and internal disagreements over operational changes and necessary funding increases.
Overall Defunding Effort
While CAHOOTS successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of alternative response models, the city of Eugene did not ultimately achieve a significant reduction in its overall police budget, which actually increased. The CAHOOTS program was funded through the EPD budget, and while it saved the city money in the long run, the police budget did not decrease commensurately.
Other complementary initiatives in Lane County, such as the year-old Deflection Program for low-level crimes and drug possession, are in their early stages and have shown a modest initial success rate of under 10% of participants graduating within the first year, though many remain actively engaged.
For more information, the White Bird Clinic website has information about its programs, though CAHOOTS services in Eugene have ceased.”
Ok Dunger. You are against ICE enforcement of immigration laws. What else is new?
I am all for following the law. Arrest all lawbreakers and take them to court. Free the Epstein files. Quit pardoning convicts or giving them Club Fed and a puppy. How about we blow some fucking boats out of the water by making up the term: narco terrorists. Everyone of them might be innocent; the answer has been deep sided. We don’t need no fucking courts, we don’t need no law, we don’t need no evidence. We got a God of War. How many 1/6ers are already back in jail? One tried assassination. No taxation without representation, no tariffs not established by Congress. And taking the tariffs off groceries is a breakthrough? How stupid are these policies. First he tariffs us to steal our hard earned bucks and now he wants to give us $2k before next year’s elections. Coulda cut out the asshole middleman and let us keep our money in the first place.
Masked secret police who disappear brown people, some proven innocent, without their day in court to third world gulag death camps that we fund is not following the rule of law. We fought a revolution to protect citizens from cruel and unusual punishment.
UT: what will you do when masked, unidentified, men without warrants come a knock knock knocking on your door? What if Biden sent them? Will you be for ICE enforcement then?
It ain’t what they are doing, it’s how they are doing it. Oh wait, my bad, it’s what they are doing too. They are out of control and getting worse.
That’s all folks, have a great week.
I’m going to join ICE. Then the Dunger can bitch about that
JACO Joseph: so what are you waiting for; they are hiring now. What’s stopping you? JACO? The ads highlight significant incentives such as a $50,000 signing bonus, potential six-figure salaries, and student loan forgiveness. Go for it or JACO? I am sure you are perfectly adequate to the task and let’s face it, the signing bonus is probably more than you make now. You can clear six digits in your first year and perhaps, forever. Doubt you need student loan forgiveness for your low level education, or lack thereof, but hey, you can go back and study the history of another man with no balls and a short one. At last, you can move out of the trailer park! fYI: my “bitching” won’t change, you add nothing except canon fodder to the mix. And if you call the thunder, you call the rain, you might get muddied in the process before you JACO once again. When are you joining ICE? Even in 1982, just before Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the icy Potomac River, the stewardess was heard to talk your talk and say: “We need more ICE, I’m going down to get some.” Go for it. Join up today. They have openings. What are you waiting for? JACO.
Of course you will have to wear a mask, and we all know your fear of face coverings. Might have to get some vaccinations too, those people bite while you only suck. You want to go. You want to join. They are hiring like mad. What are you waiting for? Unless you pussy out, to become JACO boy.
Actually, it’s pretty obvious you are JACO or you would be working for them already. Just another dog baying at the moon. You can’t dispute what I say because you know it’s right. But, like a little girl, you feel it’s wrong, so you attack me as a person calling me names, spewing bullshit, and saying absolutely nothing of value. ICE needs people just like you.
What are you waiting for? JACO?
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Dunger it’s clear that you asswipes don’t believe in the rule of law. ICE is an absolute honorable branch of the government. They are doing a great job. As for masks, it’s a fucking shame that the so called leaders of the blue shit holes refuse to help them. Why should wetbacks come here illegally? They are welcome to come with the right papers. Except for the gang bangers and human trafficking heroes of the democrat party You people are sick. But keep your fingers crossed. They might come for your family next. Perhaps it’s expected. I read an article about left leaning people buying more guns I think that’s great. They claim to be afraid of Trump. I would be more concerned if Trump wasn’t in the White House. But the 2nd amendment is for all Americans who have not lost their rights due to legal reasons or diagnosis of being crazy. But TDS could cause problems for the potential gun owners. But some mention was made concerning retaliation against ICE. I wouldn’t do that. Why did I mention the purchase of guns by libtards? You mentioned being scared. But to the new gun owners. Welcome. We would welcome you into the NRA.
JACO: I get it, when you see me write: “I am all for following the law. Arrest all lawbreakers and take them to court. Free the Epstein files. Quit pardoning convicts or giving them Club Fed and a puppy. How about we blow some fucking boats out of the water by making up the term: narco terrorists. Every one of them might be innocent; the answer has been deep sided. We don’t need no fucking courts, we don’t need no law, we don’t need no evidence. We got a God of War. How many 1/6ers are already back in jail? One tried assassination. No taxation without representation, no tariffs not established by Congress. And taking the tariffs off groceries is a breakthrough? How stupid are these policies. First he tariffs us to steal our hard earned bucks and now he wants to give us $2k before next year’s elections. And from that, you conclude: “…you asswipes don’t believe in the rule of law.” Interesting that you therefore prove you DON’T even KNOW what the rule of law is.
“ICE is an absolute honorable branch of the government.” Is that what you call people in masks? Honorable? Brave? Great Integrity? You spew a lot of bullshit lies about Democratic mayors, the incredible soul-sucking evil of people jumping the boarder — a fucking misdemeanor. All I support is the rule of law; for lawbreakers and lawmakers alike.
You may live in total fear of the brown people; I do not. Many are my neighbors and just fine by me. Hit em with a fine for boarder jumping, provide a pathway to citizens for the good ones, ones here for years or decades, get rid of the criminals, bring the innocents back, and let’s move on. If you smart guys would just pass the E-Verify bill there would be no illegal workers to begin with. It’s your fucking bill, idiots. Oh yeah, we have it in a bill to —- the one you voted down, idiots.
You stupidly spew: “the gang bangers and human trafficking heroes of the democrat party.” I am sorry, who is protecting Epstein? Is that Bondi, Cash, and Don. One of your “heroes” even said fifteen-year old statutory rape of about 1,000 girls is really not pedophilia. How do you square that conservative viewpoint? And then you rant on incoherently about liberals, guns, NRA, and the 2A. What verbal vomit that is. Seems pretty demented and pointless.
The point was you were about to join ICE, I said JACO. And JACO you did.