New York City has a new mayor. But Zohran Mamdani’s rise didn’t start in campaign offices or fancy fundraisers.
It started in the streets, with a hunger strike, housing fights, and bold policy moves that showed a city politician deeply in touch with everyday New Yorkers.
Standing With Taxi Drivers: Hunger Strike Hero
Mamdani’s first major political moment came in 2021, when New York City taxi drivers were drowning in medallion debt. Many were on the brink of financial ruin; some had even died by suicide. Mamdani, then a first-term Assemblymember in his twenties, joined the drivers in a 15-day hunger strike outside City Hall.
Drinking only water and broth, he highlighted the human cost of policy and put the city on notice. By the end, the drivers won debt relief, capping their payments at manageable levels. Years later, those same drivers would stand with Mamdani as he campaigned for mayor. His actions weren’t symbolic; they were a blueprint for his politics: solidarity, proximity to struggle, and the belief that the government can serve the people.
Targeting Dollars, Not Debate: Mamdani’s “Not on Our Dime” Push
In one of his most consequential moves before running for mayor, Zohran Mamdani introduced the “Not on our dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act,” a first‑of‑its‑kind bill that would give the state attorney‑general power to dissolve tax‑exempt charities found to be funneling donations to organizations involved in West Bank settlement activity. Mamdani framed the measure as a narrow, accountability‑focused response to reporting that New York‑based charities were sending roughly $60 million a year to groups tied to settlement expansion, arguing it would “bridge that gap and make it clear that New York will not continue to effectively subsidize war crimes.”
Backed by Democratic Socialists of America allies and co‑sponsored by members of the Socialists in Office caucus — including Sarahana Shrestha, Phara Souffrant Forrest and Marcela Mitaynes, with a companion Senate bill from Jabari Brisport and Kristen Gonzalez — the proposal turned a complex foreign‑policy question into local legislation aimed at putting human‑rights concerns at the center of how New York’s nonprofits are regulated.
Housing and Advocacy: Fighting for the Working Class
Long before campaigning for mayor, Mamdani built his reputation helping immigrant homeowners in Queens avoid foreclosure. He also advocated for working-class New Yorkers across housing and labor issues. His legislation, like the first-of-its-kind bill targeting tax-exempt charities funding Israeli settlements, reflects a clear pattern: he engages with communities on the frontlines and translates grassroots concerns into concrete policy.
Even his work with public transport signals the same ethic. His pilot program making city buses free for a year boosted ridership by 30% on weekdays and 38% on weekends, while reducing assaults on bus operators by nearly 39%. For Mamdani, improving access and safety isn’t just an idea — it’s a principle rooted in fairness and equity.
From Street Conversations to City Hall: Mamdani’s Bronx Moment
A year after Donald Trump’s presidential win, Mamdani returned to Fordham Road in the Bronx — the same stretch where, months earlier, he had stopped passersby to ask what they thought of politics and power. Back then, the answers reflected exhaustion. “I lost faith,” one man told him, while another said he didn’t vote because he no longer believed in the system. The mood was one of resignation, not rebellion.
Fast forward to the present, and the video feels like a time capsule turned prophecy. In newly shot footage, the same streets pulse with energy — New Yorkers greeting Mamdani by name, shaking his hand, calling him “the next man” and “our mayor.” One supporter proudly says he called his people to vote for him, while another, a new citizen, beams after voting in her first election.
The contrast is striking. What was once a conversation about disillusionment has become a portrait of political reawakening. The man once interviewing skeptical voters now stands as their choice for change — embodying a shift from despair to participation. And as Mamdani outlines his platform — rent control, free buses, affordable childcare — it’s clear his campaign isn’t just built on policy, but on the rekindled belief that city politics can still belong to the people.
A Mayor With Roots in Action
What sets Mamdani apart isn’t just the ideas he champions, but the method behind them. From hunger strikes to housing advocacy, from supporting taxi drivers to pushing for safer, more accessible public transport, his career has been hands-on.
He listens to communities, responds to needs, and acts boldly — long before ballots were cast.
Watch the videos here:
@zohran_k_mamdani A few days after the presidential election one year ago, we went to Fordham Road in the Bronx. It was a little different last week.
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