Bruce Blakeman Rips Mamdani Over Little Italy Snub From NYC Immigrant Map

Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday, accusing him of intentionally disrespecting Italian Americans after Little Italy was omitted from the city’s official map highlighting immigrant enclaves across the five boroughs.

The “New York City Immigrant Enclaves” map identifies 30 communities, including Koreatown in Manhattan, Little Pakistan in Brooklyn and Little Yemen in the Bronx. But Little Italy was noticeably absent, along with other historic immigrant communities such as Little Odessa, Astoria and Hell’s Kitchen. The omissions have fueled backlash since the map attracted widespread attention in July.

Blakeman, who currently serves as Nassau County executive, traveled to Little Italy for an event where he argued the omission was part of a larger pattern. He said he believes Little Italy’s exclusion was “intentional” and accused Mamdani of showing disrespect toward generations of immigrants who helped build New York City.

The Republican candidate also pointed to other decisions by Mamdani, including the cancellation of the traditional Puerto Rican Day breakfast at Gracie Mansion, his absence from the Israel Day parade and his decision not to attend the installation of New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks. Blakeman argued those incidents, taken together, demonstrate what he considers a troubling pattern from the mayor.

Italian American Civil Rights League President Mike Crispi joined Blakeman at the event, where roughly 100 people gathered carrying “Little Italy Forever” signs. Crispi said Italian Americans throughout New York felt insulted by the omission and emphasized the community’s historic contributions to the city.

Mamdani has pushed back against accusations that his administration deliberately excluded Little Italy. He said the original map was created in 2023 under former Mayor Eric Adams and was never intended to represent every ethnic enclave in the city. Mamdani acknowledged that the map is incomplete and pledged to add Little Italy and other omitted communities in future revisions.

The Little Italy gathering was sponsored by Turning Point USA and concluded with Sicilian artist Sergio Furnari unveiling a statue honoring slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Furnari plans to display the statue in Times Square on Sept. 10, marking the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s assassination.