New York City is heading in the wrong direction — and Rafael Mangual of the Manhattan Institute is here to break down exactly why. In this episode of the LoU Perez Podcast, Rafael and I discuss the real story behind the Washington Square Park snowball attack on NYPD officers, why anti-police disrespect has become normalized, the media's deliberate obfuscation of the Gracie Mansion IED attack, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani's dangerous blind spots on public safety.  Topics Covered: - The Washington Square Park "snowball fight" and what it actually revealed about anti-police sentiment - "Is This What Fear Looks Like?" — Rafael's viral piece on the myth of police brutality - How progressive guilt culture has made New Yorkers afraid to call the cops - The media's shameful framing of the Gracie Mansion IED attack - Mayor Mamdani's failure to name the perpetrators or their motivations - Why disbanding the NYPD's Strategic Response Group is dangerous - The revolving door of the criminal justice system (and why the average prisoner has 10–12 prior arrests before incarceration) - New York as a "luxury product" — and why it's losing customers - Low voter turnout, fringe political power, and who really runs NYC  Rafael Mangual is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of "Criminal (In)Justice." His work appears in City Journal, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal. https://amzn.to/4tdd8mD Follow Rafael:  X/Twitter: https://x.com/Rafa_Mangual   Manhattan Institute: https://www.manhattan-institute.org  City Journal: https://www.city-journal.org  Lou's book: That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy https://amzn.to/3VhFa1r  Watch Lou's sketch comedy on Red Coral Universe: https://redcoraluniverse.com/en/serie...  XX-XY Athletics — 20% off with code LOU20: https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/?sca_r...  Substack: www.substack.com/@louperez  Newsletter: www.TheLouPerez.com  Listen: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../the-lo... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KAtC7e... Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/.../2b7d4d..... YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Lou Perez is a comedian, author, and producer. He's appeared on Gutfeld!, FOX News Primetime, and One Nation with Brian Kilmeade. He was Head Writer and Producer of the Webby Award-winning We the Internet TV, and his sketch "Wolverine's Claws Suck" has over 20 million views. He hosts The Lou Perez Podcast on the Lions of Liberty Network.  Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro & Rafael's background 01:07 – Washington Square Park snowball fight: what really happened 05:23 – Anti-police disrespect and what it signals 09:07 – "The Talk" and the contradiction in police narratives 14:35 – Confrontations on NYC subway: antisocial power plays 28:57 – When did Democrats stop caring about order? 30:15 – Why progressives won't call the cops 37:02 – The revolving door: prison, recidivism & Heather Mac Donald 49:22 – The Gracie Mansion IED attack 51:33 – Media obfuscation and Mayor Mamdani's failed response 56:44 – Disbanding the NYPD's Strategic Response Group 59:35 – Is this a wake-up call for Mamdani? 1:02:22 – NYC as a luxury product — and why people are leaving 1:04:20 – Wrap-up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices