J.R. Giddings: Without further ado, let’s welcome in New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Good morning Mr. Mayor and how are you?
Mayor Eric Adams: Yeah, I’m great J.R., and to all the listeners and all your panelists, [it’s] always just really good thoughtful conversation. And I just think you said something that’s so important. We won’t be able to resolve these issues if we don’t have dialogue and conversation. And we just seem to have moved away from that.
You know, it’s just a state where I must prove you wrong. I must prove I’m right. I must yell at you. I must call you, must call you names. I must do things that are harmful. I must take out a gun with the silencer and shoot you as you’re walking down the block because I don’t like your practices or whatever reason. That’s where we are.
And, you know, if we don’t sort of hit a reset and be able to talk with each other, we’re not going to resolve these very complex issues and there are emotions on all sides. These issues are so complex and you can’t deal with complexity with simplicity and think that, you know, just a soundbite is going to resolve it.
Giddings: Well, Mayor Adams, there has been an awful lot of chatter. A lot of people are even upset with you, like you had anything to do with the decision. So what is your reaction to Daniel Penney being found not guilty in this subway chill-cold case?
Mayor Adams: Well, this young man, Jordan, has the same name as my son. So it’s not only professional, it’s personal. And people are angry because there are those who throughout my entire tenure, particularly in the print media, who would take a center. You sit in some of the off-topics and you hear clearly what I say in these off-topics. And next day you pick up the paper and say, wait a minute, that’s not what the mayor said. And that wasn’t [in] the spirit of what he said.
Jordan should not have deserved to die, plain and simple. But place yourselves on that train. You know, you’re just a passenger trying to get to work. That’s all you’re trying to do. You’re trying to get to work, trying to get to school. You’re trying to get to loved ones. And I was a former transit cop. I know how it is in that close confinement. And I know what fear does.
But when you look at this young man who went repeatedly through our system, he needed help. He needed help. And we did not give him help. And I was in the subway system yesterday and I was in the subway system Wednesday seeing other Jordans on our system that need help.
And so whenever you have a situation like we saw where his life was taken, you have to go to the criminal justice system. That’s the same system I want to go through with fairness. A jury of your peers hear all the evidence, all of the evidence, not some of it, not what the soundbites that people want to put in the media. They hear all of the evidence. They deliberate and they come with a determination. That is what I have to, I have to believe in that system. It hasn’t always been fair at many levels of it, but that’s the system that we all have to believe in because any of us any day can find us in that system.
And so I don’t believe this young man should have died. And I don’t believe this failed mental health system that are watching people decline constantly, losing their lives in one way or another, pushing people to the subway system. Look at the issue, incidents that we’ve had on the subway system, that pushes people in the subway system, slashing them in their faces, assaulting them unprovoked. All of the people involved, 90 percent of the time is dealing with severe mental health issues. That’s what we must face. And that’s the conversation we must have as we talk about doing a fair justice system. So as Alvin Bragg stated, I state, I respect the process and the decision that the jurors came down with. That’s what I respect. Because if we don’t respect that, then we are in some severe trouble right now.
Giddings: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Listen, I know how busy you are this morning, so we have to keep going. Now there’s the trending story with Luigi Mangione. What is your view on the extradition of the murder suspect, Luigi Mangione, from Pennsylvania to New York? What is your view?
Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, I believe he waived his extradition. I will be briefed a little later by the police commissioner. He should be tried here in New York City. There’s a lot of pieces to this. Talk about complexities, but there’s a lot of pieces to this. And there’s the criminal justice piece that must be resolved, which is important. But I think there’s a larger lesson here.
I was on your show sometime earlier this year talking about the radicalization of our young people. We’re not watching what’s happening in our country. Here you have a young man who went to Ivy League school, came from an affluent background and family, had all the things that many Americans would like to have. But he found himself hating corporations and hating other things. It appears he pulls out a gun and intentionally takes the life of someone with his manifesto. He’s spewing many comments. We’re radicalizing our children in general, but specifically on these Ivy League campuses.
I saw that at Columbia University when you look at some of the literature that was on the ground there about hating America, the destruction of America. America has a lot of issues that we must fix. But I’ve been on across the globe. There are not too many places where the opportunities are alive. What does a mayor who suffers or has to deal with dyslexia and growing up in poverty can become the mayor of the most important city, I believe, on the globe? And so you saw really cross-sections of problems of what happened in this shooting. Anyway, we brought to justice, and the criminal justice system will determine the outcome. But we need to also look at what is happening to our young people in this country.
Giddings: Also, Mayor Adams, would he be tried in New York City?
Mayor Adams: Yes, he should. We want to thank the municipality and the young woman from McDonald’s who saw something, said something, and did something, and called the authorities. That was really a heads-up on her part. They made the apprehension, and now I believe he should come to New York to face the charges.
Giddings: And what is your reaction to the amount of support that Luigi Mangione is getting from murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare? Do you see the support that he’s getting, the GoFundMe, the people who are willing to pay for his attorney fees? Why is this happening? Why do you think this is happening?
Mayor Adams: It’s called anger and pain. People know how challenging it is navigating our healthcare system on many levels, the cost of healthcare system. Some of the denials, some of the of illnesses that are not covered. And all across America, people have experienced that disappointment. And so you’re seeing a response to that. His actions, they do not, should not meet his anger that he showed, but also the anger that others are showing. So it’s anger and pain.
And we can’t send a signal that if you’re angry over something, if you’re angry because you got a parking ticket, you respond with violence. If you’re angry because you didn’t get to grade, you wanted to school, or you’re angry because the doctor didn’t treat you accordingly. This is not the response. Violence is not the response. There are clear systems to go after that.
He could have used his intelligence and intellect to organize, like young people who experience shootings in their schools. They organize to remove guns out of our country. That’s the power of this country, your ability to organize to fight the right, to preserve your right. And so those who are responding, I think it’s a lot of anger and pain. And we need to use that anger to mobilize like we’ve done so many times in our lives.
Giddings: You know, Mayor Adams, we keep talking about mental health, and it’s obvious that something was going on with this young man. I mean, he was estranged from his family for the last four or five months. So something, there’s some disconnect there as well. So when we look and we talk about where we are, we really have to focus on mental health in this country. It’s just getting worse. I think that might be the next pandemic. I mean, it just keeps imploding all the time.
But, you know, there’s only so much that our audience can do. But I think when you… the long and the short of it is that I think Americans feel cheated by the healthcare industry. And I think that’s where we are. And I think that’s why we get in this heavy pushback.
Mayor Adams: And many of our union members, 32BJ, DC37, and others, we have really been looking into healthcare. The head of HTC, Rich Maroko, we had a conversation the other day, we’re trying to bring down the cost of healthcare. We’re trying to make it easier for people to get the services they deserve. And so it’s on the radar of many of us as we deal with the healthcare crises that we’re facing in the city, as well as the mental health crises that we’re facing in the city and country. And the mental health crisis is many of our individuals who are homeless, many of the incidents are random.
Random acts of violence are connected to those with severe mental health issues. But many people are harmful to themselves. And that’s why, if you remember in 2022, early in my administration, I talked about using involuntary removal, going out and bringing people into care. We had two initiatives in our subway systems alone called SCOUT and PATH. We have been in contact with over 8,000 people, making contact with them.
800 of them moved and went into what we call safe havens, so they can get the treatment and support that they deserve. When we closed our psychiatric wards many years ago, because advocates called for them to be closed because of some of the draconian practices, we closed them, but we didn’t send people to the places that they need help from.
And in many families today, if you were to ask them how do you seek the psychiatric care that your loved ones need when you see them declining, they don’t have a real understanding of where to go. That’s why I call J.R. I call, we get ready to close Rikers, we get ready to build four new jails. 51 percent of the population at Rikers Island, they have mental health issues.
18 to 20 percent have severe mental health issues. I say let’s turn one of these brand new jails into a state-of-the-art psychiatric facility that can treat people with dignity and respect as they go through their mental health crises, and not imprison them for it, but give them the support that they deserve. That’s what we have to do. We have to stop this symbolic approach to real problems. I was demonized because of that. I was attacked because of that. But you have to ignore this noise and do what’s right for people. And I’m just going to continue to do that as this mayor, as long as I’m the mayor of this city.
Giddings: Mr. Mayor, I’m glad that you said that you will continue to do what you have to do. Is there any merit to you running as a GOP candidate in the mayoral election next year?
Mayor Adams: You know, I never thought I’d be quoting the incoming president, but it’s just fake news. You know, these guys just, they just create this fake news. Someone asked me a question on one channel about running for re-election, and I said, listen, I’m part of the American party. I believe we have to do what’s best for America, because the American public is tired of this bipartisanship, this squabbling back and forth while they’re suffering.
People don’t want to hear these terminologies and get these intellectual conversations when they’re fighting for their rent, they’re fighting for their safety, they’re fighting for being able to feed their children. And we’re having all of these intellectual conversations. Yes, I’m running as a Democrat. I was a Democrat candidate as a senator, as a borough president, as a mayor, and I’m going to be a Democratic candidate again.
But when the elections are over, we take off the intramural jerseys and we put on one jersey. The jersey is America. And in this city, the jersey is New York. What are we going to do about New York? I’m going to reach across the aisle. I’m going to speak to whoever’s in power at the time and say, how do I deliver for this city?
Listen, it was Democrats that cost us $6.5 billion in migrants and asylum seekers and ignored our pleas for help. Those were Democrats that did that, that didn’t secure our border. So when you talk about what party, my party is the party of this country because I took a pledge when I became mayor. I didn’t pledge allegiance to a party. I pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And those are the people that are here.
So I’m running as a Democrat, but I’m true blue, but I’m also true blue collar. Working class people need to be lifted up. That’s why we are proposing to end the city income tax to those who make 150 percent below the poverty line or at the poverty line. That’s why we’re doing the things we’re doing from free high speed broadband and NYCHA to reduce MetroCard payments to Summer Youth Employment.
All of these things are blue collar issues and passing the city of yes. So we have the most comprehensive housing reform in the history of the city to build more housing. This is a blue collar mayor and I’m doing blue collar things. And so I’m true blue as a party, but I’m also true blue collar. And that’s what I’m going to continue to be.
Giddings: I’m smiling, Mayor Adams, simply because I’m glad you came to the reset talk show to set the record straight on who and what party you’re running for next year. I really feel great about that because the rumor mill is out there.
Audience, tell a friend to tell a friend you heard it here on the reset talk show. But let me bring in the pastor for a quick minute before I come back over to you. Good morning, Pastor Straker. We have Mayor Adams here.
Pastor Louis Straker: Good morning, Mr. Mayor. It’s always great to have you with us. I’m doing well, sir. Quick question. I know this is a hot topic as well. You sat with incoming borders are Tom Homan. Yes, recently. And he was selected by Donald Trump, in coming to manage the flow of migrants coming into the U.S. and the deportation, the plan of mass deportation that’s supposed to happen.
He’s already been quoted saying, you know, he plans to start in Chicago. And he’s even made statements that listen, if the mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside. But if he gets in the way, there’ll be prosecution.
Now, there’s been a lot of folks that are concerned that your cooperation with the Trump administration might go too far. We know that Floyd Bennett Field, where there’s a migrant shelter sits on federal land. Has there been any discussion as to what’s going to happen there? Will there be deportation centers? Anything [you] can you share from that conversation? And if you see that they’re doing something that you don’t feel is just, will you stand in the way and face even face prosecution to stand for what is right?
Mayor Adams: And I’m glad you said that, pastor, that a lot of folks are saying, you know, should you be cooperating or not? And a lot of folks are saying I should be. We forget that party, that bulk of people, the American people spoke loud and clear. We have a broken immigration system, we need to fix it. And as I moved throughout the city, and communities of immigrants, mind you, let’s be very clear of that because I think oftentimes we ignore the voices of immigrants who are following the process. This city is a city of immigrants as a country of immigrants.
They are clear, they don’t have a problem with migrants and asylum seekers. What they have a problem with is that if people can’t find their way, you know, people who are undocumented immigrant in the city have always been part of the city. And that’s why you have these different laws to protect them. And that’s why we say to our immigrants and migrants and asylum seekers, keep sending your children to school, keep getting health care, keep calling agencies when you need assistance for some reason or another. We’re not going to stop doing that.
But I was clear, last year, prior to the election, that those who are committing violent criminal acts in our city, they are violating the privilege of being in the city and in this country. I’ve said that over and over again. This is not this is not Donald Trump’s talking point. This is my talking points. And it’s the talking points of working class people in the city. Working class people in the city are saying the same thing. Violent gangs and violent individuals who are attacking New Yorkers and undocumented people, they’re attacking other migrants and asylum seekers.
And I’ve been clear that they should not have the right to be in this city. And that’s what the aspects of the border czar’s plan that I support. Now, if he has other plans that is outside the scope of what I support, he didn’t share that with me. He talked about the issues that [are] important to me, and that’s keeping this city safe.
You know, the young man who committed the murder and rape, he was in our city. It could have been one of our daughters, or one of our sisters, one of our mothers. That’s unacceptable for me. And I’m going to collaborate and coordinate with whomever is going to be part of my agenda that I started 30 something years ago, when I wore that bulletproof vest, keeping New Yorkers safe. That’s the prerequisite to my prosperity.
And if something has come down in any policy, I’m going to stand up and advocate for the people of New York, like I advocated under a Democratic president, when 220,000 migrants and asylum seekers came to the city without any financial support. I stood up for New Yorkers. And national immigrant leaders are saying no other mayor in any city has done more for the immigrants and undocumented than the mayor of New York City.
Just look at what we’ve done. And those 220,000 migrants and asylum seekers, 170,000 took the next steps on their journeys to participate in the American dream. We’re doing a job, and we have done it with results. And I’m going to continue to advocate for this city. This city is first for me. And I’ve said that over and over again. Under a Democratic mayor, I’m going to say it under a Republican mayor, I’m going to say it under an independent mayor, I’m going to be consistent on fighting for New Yorkers.
Pastor Straker: Mr. Mayor, thank you so much. Do you have time to talk about the 689 resolution, City of Yes, that was passed? Tell us more about it. Tell us what was the holdup, some of the things you had to overcome, and where we are, what it means for New York City.
Mayor Adams: People don’t realize, I’m glad you asked that question. People don’t realize how important this legislation was. We passed the City of Yes in three different levels. City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality. People thought we couldn’t get it passed, we got it passed. It’s very important. I encourage people to read what it does.
City of Yes [for] Economic Opportunity, of extremely important. If we would have just stayed with those two, because it changed the business structure in the city, we would have pulled off an amazing feat. But I said it’s not enough. We have a 1.4 percent vacancy rate in our city. Our seniors are fearful of not being able to live in their city. Young people are coming back from college and can’t afford to live here. I said we must do something about housing, because too many communities are not carrying their load on housing.
You can’t have 59 community boards, and 10 community boards are building more affordable housing than the other 49 combined. Every community should build a little more housing, and we did that. Thanks to our support and partnership in the City Council, we got City of Yes passed. And as I stated, this is the most comprehensive housing plan reform in the history of our city.
It means that every community will build a little bit more housing without changing the shape of their community. And we’re putting $5 billion into the infrastructure to build our community. So we’re not just going to build housing and not build out the infrastructure, the sewer lines and other things in the roads. We are building it out with the infrastructure.
[The] governor has been an unbelievable partner. She gave us a billion dollars to the $4 billion we put in. And I know a lot of this sounds sort of wonky to the policy ones, but what I can say to New Yorkers is that we’re going to build 80,000 more units of housing in 15 years. We’re going to drive down the cost of housing, because when you don’t have enough inventory, it drives up the cost. And so this is a real win for New Yorkers.
This is what we fought for, and it just can continue to show. It’s not only what we have done, it’s what we have overcome while we’re doing it. Never losing focus, never being distracted, continue to deliver for New Yorkers. Just look at what we are accomplishing in the city. And I’m really pleased for Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Dan Garodnick, who heads our planning, our first deputy mayor. They really did an amazing job. Tiffany Raspberry, who was my Intergovernmental Affairs team, we delivered for New Yorkers. And because of that, we said yes to carbon neutrality, to economic development, and most importantly, to housing.
Pastor Straker: Thank you, sir.
Giddings: Mayor Adams, two quick things. We have Dr. Giddings here. It’s this holiday season. Next week is our Christmas show and last show of the year. Dr. Giddings, say good morning to our mayor. I don’t know if Jeff is there.
Dr. Shellyanne Giddings: Good morning, Mr. Mayor. How are you doing?
Mayor Adams: Good morning. How are you?
Dr. Giddings: I’m doing well, doing well.
Giddings: Okay, great. I think Jeff left. So my last question to you, Mayor Adams. What are your hopes for the new police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, as we go forward?
Mayor Adams: We know how to fight crime. We’ve shown that crime has continued to go down. 20,000 illegal guns removed off our streets. 70,000 ghost vehicles that have been just wreaking havoc. Everything from cars to mopeds, freewheels, scooters. We know how to reverse crime in the city. But I need to take the New York City Police Department to the next level.
You know, I’m a big tech person. So I want to see us moving and use technology to make us safer. How do we catch a shooter like we saw in the healthcare shooting? How do we catch him earlier? How do we use our audio and videos to identify even someone that’s wearing a mask? There’s technology out there. We need to find it if it’s out there.
How do we detect guns on our subway system better? You know, how do we deploy our police personnel using artificial intelligence and data that is recovered? There’s so many ways that we can fight crime better. And I’m looking to have Commissioner Tisch continue to decrease crime, but take our Police Department deep into the century and beyond. It’s time to turn the corner to professionalize policing of using what’s out there.
That’s why I enjoy Elon Musk being part of this administration and saying, how do we stop doing the old things, the old ways that’s giving them the same old terrible results? We have to innovate like other countries are doing. And government historically, government has been afraid to do so. They’re too cautious, too careful, and they’re not willing to try new things.
And Commissioner Tisch, she’s done an amazing job at the Department of Sanitation. She was in the Police Department before. She brought 12 years of experience and innovation. She understands intelligence as an intelligence analyst. She brings a great deal of experience and her management style is what I needed at the time. I’m looking forward as she moves out into the community and build better bridges and communicate with residents and hear from them. I’m excited about this moment and what we’re going to do.
Giddings: Mayor Adams, next week is our Christmas show. And it would be an appropriate time for us to have the police commissioner come on and speak directly to the people as we get ready for the season where we have all the tourists and all the everything that’s going on. We need to feel safe. So we’re going to try. I’m hoping that we could have her on next week. A big show next week is our last show for the year. And then we’ll be back next year. So we want to end with a bang and we want to make sure that the city is safe.
Mayor Adams: Make sure you communicate with Fabien. I’m going to speak with her in two minutes. I have 11 a.m. with her and I think it’s very appropriate for her to be on to speak with the audience.
Giddings: Okay. Thank you, Mayor Adams.
Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.
December 13, 2024 Manhattan , New York