February 26, 2026 NEW YORK, NY The honeymoon phase is officially over for New York City’s new Mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Just eight weeks into his term, the radical shift he promised on the campaign trail has hit a massive, high-tech wall—and the people who helped put him in office are handing him the sledgehammer.

On Thursday, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) dropped a bombshell report titled “Dear Mamdani: Dismantle NYC’s Surveillance State.” It isn't just a list of grievances; it’s a tactical roadmap to gutting the NYPD’s most controversial tools, and it places the burden of action squarely on the Mayor’s desk.

The 8-Step Purge

The report argues that Mamdani doesn't need to wait for the City Council or Albany to act. Using his existing mayoral powers, S.T.O.P. is demanding he immediately execute eight specific orders:

• Evict ICE: Cut off all federal access to city data to protect immigrant New Yorkers.

• Kill the Databases: Wipe out police gang databases that critics say unfairly profile Black and Latino residents.

• Ground the Drones: End the use of NYPD aerial surveillance.

• Blind the Cameras: An outright ban on facial recognition technology across the five boroughs.

A Collision Course at 1 Police Plaza

The tension in this "roadblocks to reform" story centers on a fascinating political oddity: Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

A veteran technocrat retained from the Adams administration, Tisch didn't just inherit the NYPD’s surveillance apparatus—she built it. As the former tech chief for the department, she was the architect of the Domain Awareness System (DAS), a sprawling network of tens of thousands of cameras and license plate readers.

While Tisch credits this high-tech "digital dragnet" for falling crime rates, advocates like S.T.O.P.’s Research Director Eleni Manis say the Mayor has the power to rein her in. "There are steps he can take right now by virtue of the powers vested in his office," Manis noted, citing the urgency created by expanding federal deportation efforts.

The Snowball Fight That Broke the Peace

The ideological rift between the Mayor’s office and 1PP isn't just theoretical; it’s already getting messy.

The two leaders are currently deadlocked over a bizarre incident in Washington Square Park. After a recent snowfall, a massive snowball fight ended with officers being pelted and reportedly injured.

• Tisch’s Take: It’s a criminal matter that requires a full investigation.

• Mamdani’s Take: It was a snowball fight, not a crime.

This "Snowball Skirmish" is a perfect microcosm of the larger battle. If the Mayor and his Commissioner can’t agree on how to handle a park full of flying slush, how will they navigate the dismantling of a billion-dollar surveillance empire?

What’s Next?

City Hall has remained tight-lipped, but the clock is ticking. With a "roadmap" now public, Mamdani must decide if he will be the reformer he promised or if the "Domain Awareness System" is simply too powerful to turn off.