Cuomo: Mamdani’s Pro-Prostitution Decriminalization Stance Will Set New York Back to the Bad Old Days
Law Enforcement Should Go After Criminal Organizations Behind Prostitution Rings, Get Help for Those Caught Up in Prostitution
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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, candidate for Mayor of New York City, said today that his opponent Zohran Mamdani’s record of supporting the decriminalization of prostitution in New York – and Mamdani’s suggestion that he wouldn’t prosecute prostitution as a crime – would bring New York City back to the bad old days of rampant crime, decreased public safety, and deteriorating quality of life.
Mamdani ran for State Assembly in 2020 on a platform of decriminalizing prostitution and, to this day, has been a sponsor of the decriminalization legislation.
Tellingly, he has been silent on the issue during his race for mayor, and, when asked by Politico if he intended to direct law enforcement not to prosecute prostitution arrests, “Mamdani didn’t say yes or no, but suggested he’d emulate former Mayor Bill de Blasio.” The outlet went on to point out that “Prostitution arrests cratered during [de Blasio’s] mayoralty.”
“Not enforcing a law is effectively repealing a law,” Governor Cuomo said. “We saw many laws simply not enforced during de Blasio’s time in office and quality of life dipped. This issue is particularly dangerous because, along with the poor people swept into this life who are hurt and abused, it empowers gangs, organized crime and other criminal enterprises and entire neighborhoods suffer. Anyone who remembers the Bad Old Days of Times Square does not want to go back and that is exactly what will happen if this comes to pass.”
Cuomo said prostitution needs to remain illegal, but the focus of law enforcement should be on going after the criminal enterprises behind the prostitution rings, and more resources should be spent on getting victims the help and treatment they need. Cuomo, as governor, fought the passage of Mamdani’s law and, as attorney general, took down prostitution rings.
Earlier today, Cuomo met with business leaders and residents along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, site of the infamous 'Market of Sweetheart'", to listen to their concerns about this unfettered prostitution market.
Finally, Cuomo laid out the cascading impact of allowing prostitution to go unchecked. This includes:
1. FUEL FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Legal markets for prostitution can increase demand, which traffickers meet by supplying women and girls, often from poorer regions of the world.
2. PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS
Research, including a US DOJ study from 2012, finds areas with concentrated prostitution often have higher rates of violent crime, including assaults, robberies, and drug-related offenses that spill into the surrounding communities.
3. ASSOCIATION WITH ORGANIZED CRIME & TRAFFICKING
Where prostitution flourishes, it often attracts criminal networks — pimps, traffickers, gangs, and related illicit economies (drugs, money laundering.) These networks increase violence in communities and strain policing resources.
4. IMPACT ON PROPERTY VALUES & BUSINESS CLIMATE
In NYC, before the 1990s revitalization of the Times Square area, prostitution contributed to a climate in which investors avoided the area, keeping economic opportunity low.
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