New York City’s incoming socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has ignited outrage across the city after appointing a radical activist who publicly praised notorious cop-killer Assata Shakur to help shape education policy.
Mamdani selected Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, co-executive director of the far-left group Alliance for Quality Education, for his youth and education transition team.
The group was once fronted by progressive actress Cynthia Nixon.
Shaakir-Ansari openly expressed admiration for Shakur during an interview with the website Lingua Franca.
When asked which woman she would choose to spend an afternoon with, she responded with Shakur, the convicted murderer of a New Jersey State Trooper. She suggested Shakur had “so much to offer,” and asked what advice she could give to “move the movement.”
Assata Shakur, born Joanne Deborah Chesimard, was convicted of the execution-style killing of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973.
After escaping prison with the help of armed Black Liberation Army militants, she fled to Communist Cuba, where she remains a fugitive. She is listed by the FBI as a most wanted terrorist and was the first woman ever added to that list.
Families of fallen officers expressed deep anger over Mamdani’s decision.
“Supporting a cop killer is not a good thing,” said Grace Machate, whose husband, NYPD Officer Robert Machate, was murdered during a traffic stop. She said the outrage crosses state lines because police families understand each other’s loss.
Former NYPD lieutenant and Marine Eric Dym blasted the move as deliberate, per the New York Post.
“That’s not a small oversight. That’s a conscious decision,” he said. He argued that the pick tells New York police officers that “your sacrifice is negotiable.”
Another former NYPD lieutenant, John Macari, called the appointment reckless. He said Shaakir-Ansari has a right to her opinions, but “she should have no business shaping education policy in a city where thousands of cops entrust their own kids to be educated and kept safe.”
Shaakir-Ansari has spent two decades involved in education activism and was listed among Brooklyn’s most influential people in 2017. She recently launched a fashion line and raised $15,000 on GoFundMe.
Mamdani himself refused to condemn a tribute to Shakur made by the Democratic Socialists of America after Shakur’s death. The organization applauded her “legacy” and claimed Americans have a duty to fight for freedom because they have “nothing to lose but their chains.”
Mamdani refused to answer questions on the statement, only saying he was focused on the mayoral race.
Retired NYPD sergeant and John Jay professor Joe Giacolone warned that New York City will now undergo a “rude awakening.” He said officers will flee the department.
“There will be two types of cops left,” he said. “Those who want to get out and can, and those who want to get out and can’t.”
New York families say the choice shows Mamdani’s priorities clearly. Critics argue that city schools might now reflect extremist politics that celebrate criminals and disrespect police.
