Seven of the Democrat candidates for mayor in New York City are intent on kicking out New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Dermot Shea should any of them win.
This is because most liberal candidates think police action against protestors was harsh despite the looting and rioting.
They said they would snub any Shea endorsement from Mayor Bill De Blasio.
Despite their common stance on De Blasio and Dermot Shea, they diverge on several other issues. Among these are whether to tear down the statue of Christopher Columbus at the Columbus Circle and the personal marijuana usage, reported New York Post.
The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club had its initial mayoral forum for the 2021 Mayoral Elections. But, some candidates were excluded like Democratic Candidate Loree Sutton, with the current leader considering her too conservative and not going along with all liberal policies.
The candidates who were considered for the forum were Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Obama cabinet member Shaun Donovan, former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, City Councilman Carlos Menchaca, nonprofit leader Dianne Morales, city comptroller Scott Stringer and former De Blasio counsel Maya Wiley.
The candidates were asked quick-fire questions that were answerable yes or no.
But, crucial was their support in firing the current police commissioner.
The liberals would rather that Shea's response to the protests would have been similar to that in the other places.
Shea and NYPD's actions saved NYC from further damage from rioters and looters.
New mayors usually bring in a new police commissioner when their official tenure starts. Dermot Shea has been under fire from city leaders who aligned themselves with the protesters who looted and rioted. They said the NYPD top cop should have been lenient, not protect NYC from mayhem.
Also read: Blood Bath in NYC: 125 Shootings Recorded in 72 Hours, The Worst Streak in 24 Years
Many of the liberal Dems candidates said that any endorsement from De Blasio is not welcome. One of them, Stringer, said he would not accept it at all because of NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea's harsh actions against protestors who were looting and rioting.
As to the removal of the Columbus statue, Adams and Stringer were in favor of it.
They also refused the move by De Blasio to displace vagrants from the Lucerne Hotel found in the upper west side. Local residents protested their presence, citing that their quality of life was affected by the vagrants.
As if these issues were not enough for the liberals, they also argued over the renaming of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge because the former mayor did not do well during the AIDS epidemic. Garcia said that she had not considered it yet, but she will get back to it.
Adam, an ex-cop, added that he would not accept money given by law enforcement unions. Instead, he will consider donations from real estate companies and the industry.
Two of the candidates, Donovan and Garcia, who will be getting real estate money, said that real estate is part of the city, adding that their representation should be part of it.
Progressive components consider this as something that might boomerang against the liberals. Contributions of real estate are seen as raising the cost of living in NYC, making it too expensive and not affordable to live in the city.
On the table were Dems candidates running for mayor that want edible marijuana allowed, not smoke. They are Morales and Menchaca, who made those recommendations.
Despite these differences, they agree on one thing; they want to remove NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea.
Related article: NYPD Cops Strike on July 4 to Let NYC Be 'Cop-Free' for Independence Day