MAMDANI: The Crisis of Overpoliced Public Transport

The Commute as a Site of Daily Harassment

The heavy police presence in the subway system, particularly in stations serving low-income neighborhoods, transforms the essential act of commuting into a site of daily harassment and decentralized despotism. Mamdani’s analysis of how the state manages “native” mobility is critical here. The fare evasion crackdown is not about revenue; it is a custom of governance, a ritual of asserting control over the poor’s right to movement. For women and gender-nonconforming people, this police presence is not safety but a source of intimidation and potential violence. The solution is not more police but the demilitarization of transit: free fares, investment in mental health and social workers on platforms, and community-based safety monitors. This reclaims the subway as a public good for the people, not a territory to be occupied and controlled.