Mamdani’s New ‘Racial Equity Plan’ Draws Instant Pushback From Trump’s DOJ
Left-wing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani introduced a patently unconstitutional “racial equity” proposal on Monday that immediately drew the consternation of the Trump Justice Department, with one official vowing to immediately “review” the move.
Formally called the “Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan,” Mamdani’s administration claimed in a press release that the report, which he promised to provide within his first 100 days in office, allegedly shows racial disparities in housing, education, and income. The press release said that the new race-based plan aims to “establish a new framework for how New York City measures affordability, understands inequity and plans for a more equitable future.”
“The True Cost of Living Measure offers an honest account of what it actually costs to live in this city — and who is being left behind. It shows that this is not a crisis affecting a small minority of New Yorkers. It is a crisis touching the vast majority of our city, in every borough and every neighborhood,” Mamdani said in the press release, per Fox News Digital.
“But we know this crisis is not felt equally. Black and Latino New Yorkers — who have been pushed out of this city for decades — are bearing the brunt. The Preliminary Racial Equity Plan is where we begin to reverse that pattern. These reports make one thing clear: we cannot tackle systemic racial inequity without confronting the affordability crisis head-on, and we cannot solve the cost-of-living crisis without dismantling systemic racial inequity,” he further claimed, without – as usual – providing any specifics.
“Sounds fishy/illegal,” DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon posted on X in response to Mamdani’s announcement. “Will review!”
“Straight-up racism against White people,” conservative influencer Libs of TikTok added on X.
“The reality is Mamdani is implementing blatantly racist policies that reward and punish people based on their skin color,” conservative commentator Paul A. Szypula posted.
The city billed the racial equity plan as the “first time any New York City administration has required major city agencies to examine their work through a racial equity lens and identify and eliminate disparities.” It sets goals across seven areas that include: “Children, Youth, Older Adults and Families; Economy; Housing and Preservation; Infrastructure and Environment; Health and Wellbeing; Community Safety, Rights and Accountability; and Good Governance and Inclusive Decision-Making.”
The report highlights a significant gap in median net worth between white and black households, noting that black residents also have a lower average life expectancy. To address those disparities, the report outlines a broad policy framework that includes more than 200 agency-level goals, over 800 proposed strategies, and approximately 600 performance indicators designed to measure progress over time, said Fox.
“Inequity has been embedded in the foundation of our city and nation since their inception; dismantling it requires a collective effort,” NYC Chief Equity Officer and NYC Mayor’s Office of Equity & Racial Justice Commissioner Afua Atta-Mensah said in Monday’s press release.
“The NYC Preliminary Citywide Racial Equity Plan reflects the city’s commitment to systemic transformation—turning our values into actions. From housing and healthcare to education and infrastructure, every agency plays a pivotal role in reshaping how government serves New Yorkers. This plan outlines measurable goals and actionable strategies to advance racial equity, promote justice and create lasting change,” she added.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that using race as a factor in administering programs and in college and university admissions is patently unconstitutional. Also, Trump’s administration has made it a priority to end “woke” DEI initiatives throughout the federal government and in programs administered by states since taking office.
Dating back to his campaign, Mamdani has faced severe criticism for his focus on race and “equity, including a policy proposal, “Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners,” outlining a plan to “shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and Whiter neighborhoods.”
"At my 6-year-old daughter’s family visit, my mother-in-law left her alone in a parking lot for five hours while she took the other kids “fun shopping.” She told her, “Wait right here.
"At my 6-year-old daughter’s family visit, my mother-in-law left her alone in a parking lot for five hours while she took the other kids “fun shopping.” She told her, “Wait right here. Don’t move.” I didn’t scream or cause a scene. I walked inside, did one thing, and the whole family went silent.
The moment I saw my daughter standing alone beside the concrete pillar of the parking garage, I knew something in me had permanently changed.
Mia was six years old, small for her age, wearing the yellow cardigan I had buttoned for her that morning. Her cheeks were red from crying. Her little hands were clasped tightly in front of her like she was afraid even her fingers might disobey.
She did not run to me.
That was the first thing that broke my heart.
She just looked at me and whispered, “Grandma said not to move.”
Behind her, cars rolled past. A delivery truck had backed into the loading zone. Strangers walked by with shopping bags, phones pressed to their ears, not knowing a child had been standing there for five hours because an adult had given an order and walked away.
My husband, Daniel, froze beside me.
“Mia?” he said, his voice cracking.
Only then did she move. She took three steps, then stopped again, terrified she had done something wrong.
I knelt, opened my arms, and said, “Come here, baby. You are not in trouble.”
She fell into me so hard I nearly lost my balance.
Her body was cold. Her stomach growled while she sobbed into my shoulder. She kept repeating, “I stayed. I stayed where she told me.”
Daniel’s face went white.
We had been told the visit was a family shopping afternoon. My mother-in-law, Patricia Hayes, had insisted on taking all four grandchildren to the mall. Mia had been excited because Patricia promised they would visit the toy store. Instead, Patricia had apparently decided Mia was “too whiny” after she asked for a bathroom and a snack.
So Patricia pointed to a pillar in a public parking garage and said, “Wait right here. Don’t move.”
Then she took the other three children inside for “fun shopping.”
I did not shout.
I did not scream in the garage.
I wrapped Mia in Daniel’s jacket, carried her inside, and walked straight into the restaurant where Patricia had gathered the family for dinner.
They were laughing when we arrived.
Patricia sat at the center of the long table, sunglasses pushed onto her silver hair, shopping bags piled around her chair. My sister-in-law Claire was showing off a new coat. The cousins were eating fries. Nobody looked worried.
Then Patricia saw Mia in my arms.
Her smile disappeared.
I walked to the end of the table and placed Mia gently in the empty chair beside me. I took my phone out, pressed record, and set it on the table.
Then I said, very calmly, “Patricia, explain to everyone why my six-year-old daughter was alone in the parking garage for five hours.”
Every fork stopped moving.
Daniel stood behind me, shaking.
Patricia’s mouth opened, then closed.
The whole family went silent.
PART 2
For several seconds, no one seemed to breathe.
Patricia scanned the table as if expecting someone to laugh, defend her, or turn the situation into one of those family misunderstandings she could dismiss with a theatrical sigh.
No one did.
Claire lowered the coat into her lap. Daniel’s younger brother, Mark, slowly set down his glass. The three older cousins stared at Mia, their expressions changing one after another as they realized this was not a joke, a harmless grandmother rule, or a minor punishment.
Patricia finally sat straighter.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Emma,” she said. “She was right outside.”
“Right outside?” I repeated.
“Yes,” Patricia said sharply. “She was being difficult. She kept complaining. I told her to wait. Children need to learn to listen.”
Daniel stepped closer. “Mom.”
His voice was quiet, but there was a danger in it I had never heard before.
Patricia stared at him as though he had struck her.
“What?” she said. “Now you’re going to act like I abused her? I raised three children. I know what I’m doing.”
I adjusted my phone so the camera pointed more directly toward her.
“You left her in a public parking garage,” I said. “Alone. Without food, water, a bathroom, or a way to contact us. For five hours.”
Patricia’s face tightened.
“She was fine.”
Mia flinched.
That tiny reaction accomplished what Patricia’s excuses could not. It turned the table against her.
Claire whispered, “Mom, five hours?”
Patricia snapped, “Oh, please. Don’t start.”
Mark rose from his chair. “Where did you think she went to the bathroom?”
Patricia did not answer.
Daniel crouched beside Mia. “Sweetheart, did Grandma come check on you?”
Mia shook her head. “I saw her once. She was far away. I waved but she didn’t see me.”
Patricia rolled her eyes. “She is exaggerating. Children do that when they want attention.”
I looked at my daughter’s wet sleeves, her shaking knees, and the broken little voice that had apologized repeatedly as we entered the restaurant.
Then I faced Patricia.
“No,” I said. “You don’t get to call her a liar.”
A server approached, noticed the tension, and quietly stepped away.
Patricia shoved her chair backward. “I will not be humiliated in public.”
“You humiliated yourself,” Daniel said.
The room seemed to close in around us.
Patricia grabbed her handbag. “I am her grandmother.”
“Not anymore,” Daniel said.
Those two words struck harder than anything I might have said.
Patricia stared at him. “Excuse me?”
Daniel’s fists were tight at his sides. “You are not seeing Mia again. Not alone. Not supervised. Not at holidays. Not at birthdays. Not until we decide you are safe, and right now, I don’t know if that will ever happen.”
Silence returned to the table, but this time it was different.
It was no longer shock.
It was judgment.
Patricia turned toward Claire. Claire avoided her eyes.
She looked at Mark. He shook his head.
Then she looked at me, and hatred settled behind her eyes like a lock sliding into place.
“You planned this,” she said.
I gave one humorless laugh. “You abandoned a child in a parking garage, Patricia. I only brought witnesses.”
