Voters in New York City, legal or not, are learning the hard way that when you elect an alleged jihadist communist as mayor of your city, you can expect him to behave like an anti-capitalist authoritarian.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent cease-and-desist letters to 40 major retailers regarding the sale of “prohibited motorized scooters and e-bikes,” warning the stores they could face fines of up to $2,000 for each sale — essentially holding the online retailers responsible for the actions of residents.
“It is the responsibility of retailers to only sell the vehicles permissible under New York law in our city,” Mamdani said. “[New Yorkers] trust that the product they are purchasing is legal in the city that they call home.”
Too many lives have been cut short by high-speed, illegal e-bikes and e-scooters.
That’s why we are issuing cease-and-desist orders against 42 online retailers that have been selling these dangerous devices to New York City residents — including Target, Temu, Wayfair, Walmart,… pic.twitter.com/dkNNepGjTd
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) August 6, 2026
Citing 45 people killed since 2017 while riding illegal e-bikes, the mayor stressed the need to make streets safe. For comparison, an average of 65 to 97 people die on New York City subway tracks each year, according to AEE Law. An even greater irony here is that the city releases many criminals onto the streets without bail when they are arrested.
“Today, we’re putting online retailers on notice: if you continue selling dangerous, illegal devices into New York City, you will be held accountable. We will use every tool available to make our streets safer for everyone who walks, bikes, drives or rides.”
The cease-and-desist order targets Target, Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart, Temu, and others.
Mamdani claims the retailers sell prohibited devices, like e-bikes that exceed legal speed limits, scooters that go beyond legal wattage limits, and mopeds without proper VINs, according to News Nation.
“The speed limit for e-bikes is 15 miles per hour in the city, and the maximum speed for the device must be under 20 or 25 mph, depending on the type of bike. The bikes can only have motors under 750 watts in power. Stand-up scooters cannot weigh more than 100 pounds or travel over 20 mph,” the outlet reported.
There was plenty of talk online about the Big Apple getting what they voted for — here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:
“It’s not the operator, it’s the device” is the most nanny state response in history.
— Annine Madok (@ninamadok) August 6, 2026
Like a commie dictator, ZKM goes after the retailers and not the scumbags operating these scooters in a dangerous manner.
— Overboosted (@OverboostedX) August 6, 2026
Government should enforce laws, not invent them by press conference. If these e-bikes violate the law, prove it in court. If they don’t, threatening retailers is government overreach. The rule of law should never depend on politics.
— Mehek Cooke🇺🇸 (@MehekCooke) August 6, 2026
NYC passes a law. The NYPD enforces it. Illegal e-bike crashes decrease. A report finds enforcement disproportionately impacts people of color. The conversation shifts from the illegal conduct, to accusations of racism against the NYPD. Enforcement gets dialed back. Rinse. Repeat
— Gallowglass (@stickmansays89) August 6, 2026
Interesting move considering there is zero enforcement of existing laws in Central Park or other areas where these illegal e-bikes are a menace. The most obvious explanation is that the mayor fears the optics of enforcing the rules because of the demographics of who the violators…
— Gustav De la Mer (@spaceman_biff_) August 6, 2026
— 300 Guns (@300_guns) August 6, 2026
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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