Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani predicts a catastrophic return to the city’s crime-ridden past if Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani follows through on his pledge to halt the clearing of homeless encampments, framing the policy as a fundamental misunderstanding of mental health crises and public safety.
In a stark and urgent warning, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has declared that the incoming administration of Zohran Mamdani threatens to undo decades of progress on public safety. At the heart of Giuliani’s concern is Mamdani’s campaign promise to end the city’s practice of clearing homeless encampments, a policy the former mayor describes as a “ticking time bomb.”
Giuliani, who is credited with drastically reducing crime in the 1990s, argues that Mamdani’s approach fundamentally misdiagnoses the nature of chronic homelessness. He contends that a significant portion of the unsheltered population consists of “paranoid schizophrenics” whose condition deteriorates dangerously when left in isolation. “The thing paranoid schizophrenics need is contact,” Giuliani stated in an interview, a detail confirmed by the New York Post. “The therapy… is constant talking, constant bringing them out.”
A Return to the ‘Bad Old Days’?
Giuliani’s warning evokes a dark chapter in New York’s history, suggesting the city could revert to the conditions of the early 1990s under Mayor David Dinkins. He fears that allowing encampments to persist will lead to increased violence, as individuals in mental health crisis spiral without intervention. “So think about it, the more they go inward that’s how they go from being a relatively safe person that first goes into homelessness to a killer five weeks later, five months later,” he explained.
This perspective places Giuliani at odds with a growing national movement that views homeless encampment sweeps as inhumane. However, his position finds support in recent public opinion and legal rulings. An AP-NORC/Harris poll from August 2025 found that 43% of Americans favor clearing homeless encampments, compared to only 25% who oppose the practice.
Furthermore, a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision affirmed that cities can enforce bans on sleeping in public places, providing a legal foundation for the sweeps that Mamdani aims to halt.
The National Context and a Divided Left
Mamdani’s proposed policy also stands in contrast to actions taken by other prominent Democratic leaders. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has overseen the clearing of large encampments, arguing for a balance between compassion and public order. Similarly, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has implemented policies that result in the removal of encampments. This highlights a significant ideological divide within the Democratic Party on how to address the homelessness crisis, with Mamdani staking out a position on the party’s progressive flank.
Giuliani offered measured praise for the outgoing mayor, Eric Adams, whom he credited with steering the city “halfway back” from the problems inherited from his predecessor, Bill de Blasio. “Adams has done a pretty good job,” Giuliani said, acknowledging the challenge of governing with a progressive City Council he sarcastically suggested “should be in Red China.”
Political Pressure and the Fate of Public Safety
A key point of uncertainty is Mamdani’s decision to retain Adams’ appointee, Jessica Tisch, as NYPD commissioner. Giuliani praised the move but expressed skepticism about its longevity. He believes Mamdani will face immense pressure from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and other far-left factions to adopt softer criminal justice policies. “Even if he wants to be reasonable — which I am not sure he does — they are going to bang him,” Giuliani predicted.
This internal pressure could force a shift away from the pragmatic public safety approach associated with Commissioner Tisch, potentially leading to a clash early in the new administration.
A City at a Crossroads
Despite his warnings, Giuliani acknowledged that New York City under Adams is currently in a better state than it was during the Dinkins era. “The city’s not bad right now,” he said after a recent visit. “It isn’t the city that it was when Bloomberg gave it to de Blasio, or I gave it to Bloomberg, but it’s nowhere as bad as when Dinkins gave it to me. I’m just really very concerned about what will happen next.”
The confrontation between Giuliani’s legacy of broken windows policing and Mamdani’s vision of a more permissive, socially conscious city represents a fundamental philosophical clash. The outcome will not only define Mamdani’s mayoralty but could also serve as a national referendum on how major American cities manage the intertwined crises of homelessness, mental illness, and public safety.
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