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AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, as we continue coverage of the historic inauguration of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as the mayor of New York City.
We’ll hear in a minute from his fellow socialists, Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, who swore in Mamdani on the steps at City Hall. But first, thousands of New Yorkers turned out in below-freezing temperatures and police barricades to be part of Mamdani’s inauguration, with many joining a block party with a marching band. Democracy Now!’s María Taracena spoke to some of them.
DIANA MORENO: So, my name is Diana Moreno. I’m running for Assembly to succeed Zohran Mamdani in the Assembly, because we know that he cannot do this alone. He’s going to need allies in Albany to be unwavering in our mission to deliver the affordable New York that he ran on. And I’m so thrilled to be part of that movement. And it is a collective movement. I’m not doing it alone as an individual. I’m doing it as a democratic socialist fighting for my child’s future and for my neighbors.
MARÍA INÉS TARACENA: For many around the country, New York is sort of a symbol of the power of organizing, after Mayor Mamdani won the election by a landslide. What is your message to other people around the country who are looking at New York as a path forward for the rest of the nation?
DIANA MORENO: Organized people will always be more powerful than organized money. We defeated the most powerful forces on the planet, not just a political dynasty for Cuomo, but the people who funded him, which are the same people that funded Trump. The path forward towards actual democracy is organized people that are ready, ready to fight for our children, for our future, for our planet. And Zohran has shown us that we can do this.
GLENN CANTAVE: My name is Glenn Cantave. And the reason why I’m here is because this literally is such a unique opportunity to show the entire country what it looks like when you have billionaires out the way and you have someone in control who is accountable to the people. Like, this is a case study that the rest of the country can observe. A lot of people think that Zohran Mamdani is a once-in-a-generation talent, and I think he’s an incredible person, and I back him all the way. But the reality is that there are so many Zohrans throughout the entire country, but they get outspent. And so, if Americans can see a model of what equitable leadership really looks like, it can empower other Zohrans to come out the fold.
ARIEL SEGURA: My name’s Ariel Segura. I am a teenager here in New York City. And throughout Mayor Mamdani’s campaign, two things that I’m really proud that I was able to do is, one, go out and canvass, be out there on Election Day to make sure that we get those last-minute voters in to get the outcome that we have today.
MARÍA INÉS TARACENA: You’re here with your friends. You’re all a part of history. You canvassed personally for Mayor Mamdani. What inspired you to do that?
ARIEL SEGURA: I mean, like, again, I think it’s just like Mr. Mamdani, as compared to other politicians that, you know, just say things that are kind of persuasive, he’s really listening to the people, and he’s really getting those issues that we see on a day-to-day basis. I mean, fast and free buses, I take the bus at least once a month in my neighborhood. Same with public transport. When it comes to universal child care, I know that I, as a kid, I had to stay with other family members that my parents had to pay. It was a struggle for them to do these things, and I watched these issues in my day-to-day life.
MARÍA INÉS TARACENA: Mahmoud Khalil, you were released from ICE detention a few months ago earlier this year. You’re now at the inauguration of New York City Mayor Mamdani. What does this moment mean for you?
MAHMOUD KHALIL: I mean, it’s a great moment. I’m very optimistic to raise my child, who was born when I was in detention, to raise him under the mayorship of Mamdani. It’s a great moment for all of us. It means that standing up for human rights, standing up for Palestinian rights wouldn’t mean that you don’t get elected. Despite all the odds, Zohran made it. And this is what other politicians in this country should understand, that Palestine is no longer a liability for their platform, that they actually should speak out for Palestine.
ANA MARÍA ARCHILA: My name is Ana María Archila. I’m the co-director of the New York Working Families Party. The more than 100,000 volunteers that were part of Zohran’s campaign went to knock on doors not just to ask people to vote for Zohran Mamdani, but actually to say, “I will fight for you. I will — I will commit to you that we will freeze the rent, that we will make universal child care available to everybody, that we will make buses fast and free.” It was a politics of solidarity, a politics of mutual commitment and a politics of optimism in a moment when there is so much darkness surrounding us.
AMY GOODMAN: Just some of the thousands of people who came out to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Zohran Mamdani as the mayor of New York on New Year’s Day. Special thanks to María Inés Taracena and Sam Alcoff.
