Brooklyn Blocks Go “Police Free” Amid Trump Admin’s Anti-Crime Push

A crime-plagued stretch of Brownsville, Brooklyn — one of New York City’s most dangerous neighborhoods — has launched a city-funded experiment to fight crime by keeping police officers away.

The controversial program, part of the Brownsville Safety Alliance (BSA), transformed a two-block section of the NYPD’s 73rd Precinct into a so-called “police-free zone” last week, according to The New York Post. The initiative, which began under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, has now expanded to four events per year, and is being praised by anti-police activists and socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is leading in New York’s upcoming mayoral race.

“He believes in what we do,” said Dushoun Almond, program director of Brownsville In Violence Out, the group overseeing the project. Almond said Mamdani even visited one of the zones in April.

Under the plan, uniformed NYPD officers are told to stand down, allowing community activists to handle what they deem “lower-level” incidents such as disputes, public drinking, or arguments. Police remain nearby but are instructed not to intervene unless a serious emergency — such as a shooting or stabbing — occurs.

“They’re not gone, but they give us our room to control the block,” Almond said. “There’s a BSA every three months.”

The October operation ran daily from noon to 6 p.m. between Sutter and Pitkin avenues.

An NYPD spokesperson insisted official policy remains unchanged:

“Nothing has changed about our operations or deployment there,” the department said.

However, a police source told The Post the initiative is politically motivated and risky.

“This is the way that this new guy [Mamdani] wants us to go. [The brass] are trying to appeal to him. It’s insane,” the source said.

A flyer circulated in the area, later removed by the department, appeared to confirm the “police-free” directive.

“No on-duty [uniformed members of service] are to enter this area unless responding to an extreme police emergency (e.g. person shot, stabbed, etc.),” it read. “This event is being monitored at the Police Commissioner level.”

The NYPD called the flyer unauthorized.

“That was an unauthorized sign that was posted, and the signs have been removed,” a spokesperson said.

Despite the department’s denials, the community patrols — roughly 20 members of Brownsville In Violence Out — continued responding to 911 calls involving minor issues. A plainclothes NYPD “BSA sergeant” followed the group discreetly, while other officers watched from the perimeter.

Reactions from residents were divided. Some, like Jose, a 57-year-old hardware store employee, told The Post that locals trust community mediators more than cops:

“They do a better job because they talk — ‘Yo, what’s going on?’ ‘What’s the problem?’ ‘Why are you doing this?’ People listen.”

But others, like Jamixa Alvarez, who works at a nearby Cricket Wireless, disagreed.

“In 2025, being a cop isn’t the easiest job,” she said. “But right now we need our cops.”

While the most recent “police-free” event ended without major incidents — aside from a teen brawl involving pipes and scooters — crime in Brownsville is sharply up. NYPD statistics show robberies up 23%, felony assaults 26%, burglaries 40%, and grand larcenies 30% compared to 2024.

Former NYPD supervisor and John Jay College professor Christopher Hermann warned that such experiments could backfire:

“Historically, this is one of the most dangerous parts of New York City,” he said. “I’m not sure how designating this as a police-free zone will make residents feel — or actually be — safer.”

Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa blasted the program as “a reckless experiment that invites chaos.”

“Community groups can and should partner with the NYPD,” Sliwa said. “But sidelining cops in a high-crime area is exactly the backwards approach Zohran Mamdani is cheering on — and I’ll end it on Day One.”

As violent crime continues to surge, the Brownsville “police-free zone” is becoming a symbol of New York City’s deepening divide — between law enforcement and the left-wing activists trying to replace it.