New York Mayor Eric Adams Built a Drone Dystopia. Mamdani Shouldn’t Let it Fly.

We’ve all heard the phrase “look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane,” anticipating the thrill of spotting a superhero in flight. In New York City, we should tack on “it’s a drone,” because that’s what you’re most likely to see overhead at any given moment. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has invested heavily in unmanned aerial technology, heralding it as the future of public safety, but the question is why? To drive arrests when New Yorkers take to the streets to protest? To stop people from celebrating Juneteenth or Labor Day? Or are drones just surveillance with better PR?

The NYPD’s drone program sells a seductive lie: more surveillance means safer communities. If police can just see more, monitor more, track more, they claim they can prevent harm and protect people. History says otherwise. Surveillance doesn’t create safety—it siphons public resources from what does. It shows you what’s happening without explaining why or stopping it from happening again. Drones hover over protests but can’t address what brought people into the streets. They circle neighborhoods but can’t deliver what those communities need. The technology can dazzle us with the illusion of control while we ignore what actually matters.