The recent mayoral election was less a triumph of democratic socialism and more a powerful statement from Black New Yorkers about the oppressive costs of living that threaten to displace families from the city they helped build. Economic pressures, rather than political ideology, were the driving force behind the election results.

Residents in predominantly Black neighborhoods cast their votes based on their immediate experiences and challenges. They backed the candidate they believed could alleviate the economic burdens that have been mounting over the years. This choice should not be mistaken for a wholesale endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) or its divisive rhetoric.

This nuance is vital. Although Zohran Mamdani secured the mayoral position, the DSA’s platform did not win the day. This sets the stage for what comes next in New York’s political landscape.

The key question now is whether Mamdani will govern with the autonomy needed to serve all of New York City, particularly the Black neighborhoods that voted out of economic need rather than ideological conviction. Alternatively, will he align himself with an organization whose policies often conflict with the needs and overlook the interests of the very communities most impacted by City Hall’s decisions?

To maintain the trust of Black New Yorkers, Mamdani needs to clearly distance his administration from the DSA. For years, the DSA has championed ideas that seem noble in theory but falter when implemented in communities that endure the consequences of policy missteps. They adopt the rhetoric of justice and liberation from historical struggles, yet propose initiatives that frequently ignore the realities of safety, education, and economic survival.

Black New Yorkers are familiar with this cycle and have long been used as a testing ground for ideological endeavors conceived far from the challenges they confront daily. There is no desire to revisit that role.

Public safety is where the divide shows most clearly. Alongside affordability, it remains the top concern in Black neighborhoods. Mamdani has publicly distanced himself from the DSA’s calls to abolish police and prisons. But the DSA still champions that agenda. Our communities need reforms that deliver fairness without sacrificing safety. The DSA offers neither. Their proposals come from activists who do not live with the consequences of their own ideas.

Defund the police may sound compelling in areas insulated from violence. In neighborhoods like Brownsville or South Jamaica, it sounds like abandonment. It is the law of unintended consequences playing out in real time.

The same applies to drugs and prostitution. The DSA’s push to legalize heroin, fentanyl, and decriminalize sex work is framed as harm reduction. For communities still dealing with the trauma of the crack era and the devastation of the opioid crisis, this is not harm reduction. It is harm multiplication. Legalization does not make exploitation safer. It makes it easier to hide.

Their hostility to charter schools sends an equally troubling signal. Charter schools serve about 130,000 mostly Black and Brown students. Families choose them because they offer what too many traditional schools have failed to provide. The DSA’s desire to defund charters and remove them from public buildings would strip children of one of the few ladders many families have. That is not equity. That is erasure.

Even the NYPD’s gang database becomes a flashpoint. The DSA calls it discriminatory. Many parents and neighborhood leaders see it as a tool that can prevent violence before it reaches their block. Reforms may be necessary, but dismantling it outright would be reckless.

These positions are not aligned with the priorities of Black New Yorkers. They reflect a worldview rooted in enclaves untouched by the consequences of their policies. They come from the same gentrifier class whose arrival has helped push Black families out of our long-standing neighborhoods.

That is why independence matters. Mamdani can set a new course. He can choose to govern with clarity, pragmatism, and respect for the communities that face the steepest challenges. Or he can allow the DSA to shape a city that will leave those same communities behind.

Black New York will continue to speak for itself. The only question is whether the new mayor will hear what we are saying.

Jones is president of the National Black Empowerment Action Fund.