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Mayor Adams Outlines Plans to Curb Gun Violence, Boost Housing in NYC

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, appearing on News12’s “Ask the Mayor” on August 27, 2025, addressed a recent spike in gun violence and outlined initiatives on school safety and affordable housing. Following mass shootings in Midtown and Crown Heights, and multiple incidents in the Bronx, Adams detailed a mobilization plan targeting gang activity and repeat offenders, with increased police focus on hotspots and community crisis teams to prevent retaliatory shootings. He highlighted a new job training program for justice-involved individuals, offering commercial driver’s licenses to deter crime through employment. On school safety, with classes nearing, Adams defended a cell phone ban to reduce violence and distractions, and noted enhanced security measures, including cameras and mobile metal detectors. Responding to a Bronx resident’s call for NYPD cameras, he pledged to review the request. Adams also emphasized housing efforts, citing rezoning initiatives and projects like Willets Point to address a 1.4% vacancy rate driving up costs. On autonomous vehicle testing, he stressed preserving taxi jobs while exploring accessibility benefits. Defending his veto of a City Council decision to block a Bronx casino proposal, Adams argued for including the borough in development discussions.

Mayor Adams Participates in Live Interview on NEWS12 and Takes Questions From New Yorkers

Amanda Bossard: Hello, everyone, and thanks for being with us here on News12, where local matters. I’m Amanda Bossard, and this is Ask the Mayor. It is a pleasure to be back here with you for the next half hour, as we give you the opportunity to ask New York City Mayor Eric Adams your questions right here on the air.

So the number to dial is 718-861-6800, and it will be at the bottom of your screen throughout the program for reference. With that, we’d like to welcome back once again tonight to our studios, New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Always a pleasure to have you with us.

Mayor Eric Adams: Great to be here. Enjoy this time of day, [on] this day of the month, to come around and talk.

Bossard: A great opportunity to answer those questions directly from New Yorkers. I’ll kick off the conversation, though, unfortunately, on a somber note this evening, and talk about this recent spree of violence, specifically gun violence, that we’ve seen in just the short time since we last spoke with you.

We’ve seen a mass shooting in Midtown claim the life of a Bronx officer, another mass shooting where fourteen people were shot inside of a Crown Heights lounge, and then this past weekend in the Bronx specifically, back to back to back shootings, a multiple shooting unfolding in the Bronx as recently as today.

I know in response to this recent violence, you have said that in the Bronx specifically to address gangs and younger shooters that we’re seeing, you’ve issued a full mobilization plan directive to the chief here in the borough. What do you expect to be part of that plan, and how soon do you expect to see it being implemented to immediately address this violence we’re seeing?

Mayor Adams: It is extremely unfortunate. When you see the good work we have done on removing the illegal guns off our streets, and what the police commissioner has done in identifying hotspots, and when you look at these large number of shootings out of one incident, fourteen people in Brooklyn in a night club, four in the Bronx over the weekend, it just really hurts all of the efforts that were put in place.

And there’s a common denominator we’re seeing over and over again. Young shooters, gang involvement, repeated offenders. That repeated offenders that we talked about on some of our laws, that’s just, you know, we are seeing repeated offenders.

So what we’re going to do– the commissioner is going to make sure that we have the attention in the Bronx, looking after the hotspots, knowing some of the known gang members, using our crisis management team members, because they are the best at dealing with retaliatory shootings.

We know how well they do. And so the team must zero in, identify what is causing this uptick in gun violence that we’re seeing. And we have to respond. And the commissioner has done a good job in doing so for the last seven months with the lowest number of shooters and shooting victims. And we have to make sure we continue the implementation of the plan and continue to drive down gun violence.

Bossard: You spoke specifically about how young people are getting caught up in the gun violence, and we’re seeing that number sadly rise, despite other statistics on the decline. We have school a little bit more than a week away at this point.

What efforts are in place right now to ensure that this street violence doesn’t seep into our classrooms, especially as families now navigate this new normal with the cell phone ban? I’m sure parents are concerned about not having such easy access to their kids while they’re in class.

Mayor Adams: And I’m glad you asked that because, believe it or not, cell phones contribute to violence. And that is why the goal was to remove cell phones from schools. This is going to be the first year that it’s going to be actually done. The governor, kudos to her, for partnering with the lawmakers in Albany to state that we have to take the cell phones out of the school. They’re distractions, they’re used for bullying, they’re used to start fights with children.

And really, it’s just not the place for our children. Many have tried. We wanted to take our time and make sure we got it right. And that’s exactly why it took this long. Because we have to get it right. We don’t want to start and then turn back.

But to those parents that are concerned about notifications when something happened, like what happened today, where a mad gunman went in and shot innocent babies, they want to be notified. And so we have to be using state-of-the-art technology, communication methods, so when something does happen, we can immediately let families know what we’re dealing with and if a child is in harm’s way.

Bossard: You mentioned this active shooting situation that we saw unfold earlier today at a Minneapolis Catholic school where two children, sadly, were lost in that situation. Of course, people fear the worst could happen here at home.

In terms of specific security safeguards, should we expect to see more metal detectors? Any other extra efforts in light of the violence that we’re seeing with schools so closely approaching?

Mayor Adams: Good question. First of all, many of our schools, we probably did all by now, but many of our schools, when you come to the school, [there’s] no more just [opening] doors. There is a camera with a bell. The school safety agent must buzz you in. So that’s an important mechanism that we put in. That was the first time this has ever been done.

If we didn’t do all the schools, I know we’re in the process of doing so to make sure that anyone cannot just wander into the school building. We do roving metal detectors and checks using metal detectors based on the circumstances. Some of them are surprise metal detectors that come into the school. They are able to move around.

We have been looking at more technology because it’s getting better and better and better. That is our goal to use technology to make sure we keep our city safe. And we’re going to continue to focus on that.

We have a great team of school safety agents. There’s going to be some movement with the school safety division that the commissioner is going to be announcing, but it’s all about making sure we create a safe environment on our school campuses.

Bossard: And then when we expand this conversation surrounding safety at the national level, we’ve heard from President Donald Trump as of late saying that he’s considering sending the National Guard to New York City. You’ve said that’s not needed.

Other members of your administration have echoed that sentiment with the violence we’ve seen as of late. Why say we don’t need the National Guard right now? Why not welcome that help?

Mayor Adams: Because you don’t– Because the National Guard would send the wrong message, number one, a visible uniform presence in New York City, it could impact business. It could impact the entire perception of our city. The numbers are in the right direction with the decrease in crime, our seven major crime categories, what we’re doing. [What] the Police Department is doing already and taking guns off our street. And just think about it.

Our subway system with 4.6 million riders is only five average felonies a day with 4.6 million people. So it’s the safest that it has been in decades when you take [out the] two years of COVID. So we know how to do it here in the city. And if we need to help other cities, if the president or White House determines they would like to see some of the things we’re doing, we’re more than willing to do so.

But we also coordinate with our federal, state, and city partners every day at 10 a.m. in the morning. We meet in something called HIDTA. We go after trigger pullers. We go after shooters. We go after those who are known to carry guns. So we are coordinating already.

The real need of the federal government, we have to stop the flow of guns in our cities. When you have a person that has an AR-15, drives across the country and shoots four innocent people and himself, that is what our focus point must be. We have to stop this fixation with guns like what we saw happen in another state.

Bossard: Yeah, and a lot of pressure being applied to those federal lawmakers to act on that now more than ever. I do want to get to our first caller of the evening. We have Noel who’s called in from Soundview. Thanks so much for the call, Noel. And what’s your question for the mayor this evening?

Question: Yes, good evening, Mayor Adams.

Mayor Adams: Good evening.

Question: My question for today is about the crime that’s going on in our borough, the Bronx. You know, it’s kind of concerning, you know, and it’s just, I was wondering to see what– how can we fix that? How can we address that much better?

It’s kind of scary to even go outside to go to the store when someone’s getting robbed. You can’t wear any jewelry, you can’t wear– you have to be actually keeping your head on a swivel. And it’s scary.

Mayor Adams: Well said, Noel. And we don’t want you living that way in our city where you are afraid just to enjoy the beauty of the city. I hear over and over again from people, they hear about these terrible incidents, but they say, “Eric, I feel safer walking the streets, I feel safer going out in my parks at night.”

What we’re seeing in the city, we have really dealt with the issue of crime in the city. And when you do– there’s always this bar graph [that shows] how crimes are in big cities. We’re the safest big city in America. Safest in America. The largest in America. Very complex.

But we have a Police Department that is second to none. And they’re doing a good job. And Noel, we must make sure that, I like to say, that we have to be reactive to go after those crimes, but we have to be proactive. And what does proactive action mean?

What we did today, we just announced justice-involved people are now able to get free training for their CDL and tractor trailer driving. It is a job that pays between $74,000 to $124,000 a year. No high school diploma needed. We’re going to be training three hundred more. That is how you prevent crime, by having people have the employment they deserve.

Bossard: Yeah, and this opportunity that’s being created to hopefully stop that cycle of violence, like you mentioned, repeat offenders being one of the big issues right now and trying to stem that. Well, the conversation is just getting started here on Ask the Mayor tonight. 718-861-6800 is the number to dial if you have a question. Call in right now. We’ll be right back right after this.

[Commercial Break.]

Bossard: Welcome back to another edition of Ask the Mayor here on News12 with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. As we continue the conversation with our callers right now, we have Sidney who’s on the line. He’s called in from [inaudible] tonight. Sidney, thank you for calling and what’s your question for the mayor?

Question: Good evening, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: Good evening.

Question: Mr. Mayor, we had a shooting this morning on College Avenue. We had three people shot around 8:30 this morning, College Avenue, 170. And I have asked in the past, [where] I live– I’m a resident here, if we could get a NYPD camera. I asked the previous borough president and I asked Ms. Gibson and nothing, nothing has happened yet.

I’ve spoken to detectives on the 44 precinct. They agree with me and they told me they even have mentioned it, but it’s up to the politicians to allocate the money. And I understand that. And I also understand that Ms. Gibson gave $1.2 or $1.1 million for cameras, for sanitation and police. And I’m hoping maybe you could pick up the phone tomorrow and let her know, please give College Avenue that well-needed NYPD camera at the intersection of College Avenue.

Mayor Adams: Is College Avenue and what, what is the cross street?

Question: It’s between College Avenue, it’s right on College Avenue, East 170 Street, the intersection.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Okay. Let me look into it. Let’s find out from Chief Gurley, who’s here in the Bronx and let us find out exactly how we can move it forward if [there’s] a need for it. Okay.

Bossard: Mr. Mayor, I’ll ask, what is the determining factor for where those resources are placed?

Mayor Adams: Because you’re talking about making sure that you deploy it correctly. If there are issues of violence there, if there are issues such as a shooting like this, if there’s a known gang activity. And so you want to make sure it’s where it is needed, like that is how you deploy the resources correctly. And so they’ll do an analysis to determine where you want to deploy these cameras.

Bossard: So Sidney, thank you for the followup. It’s now on the mayor’s radar for sure. Let’s get to another caller that we have on the line. I believe Anika has dialed in from Co-op City. Thanks so much for the call tonight, Anika. And what’s your question for the mayor when you’re ready?

Question: Yes, my question is, when the years to come, would it be a change with affordable housing and supportive housing?

Mayor Adams: Tell me more about that, Anika. I want to understand your question.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Bossard: I think she’s breaking up a little bit, unfortunately.

Mayor Adams: Okay. You broke up, Anika, but I think I got the gist of it. When you talk– when we talk about housing in the city, we have rent stabilized. We have our affordable housing, a stock of– when people want to build higher, we are able to do zoning changes and we’re able to leverage the number of units that are going to be affordable. It could be anywhere from 20 percent, 30 percent, in some cases, 50 percent.

And like our Willets Point project, it is 100 percent affordable, 2,400 units. Here’s what we were having our problem. We were seeing that it’s an inventory issue. When you have only 1.4 percent vacancy, you could build units, but the demand is so high.

So like in the Bronx, for example, you could have a 500 unit building. But if you have 14,000 people trying to get those 500 units because we haven’t built enough, that’s the problem. That’s why we continue to put shovels in the ground. We have preserved, created, and zoned for over 426,000 units of housing in the next decade throughout [the] City of Yes.

We did five neighborhood rezoning with 50,000 units of housing. We just did a major rezoning in Manhattan where you get 10,000 units of housing. We just did Fordham South where we’re going to do several hundred units of housing, just creating new communities.

And so we have to build more. And that’s what this administration, what we have done so that we can make sure that we have the inventory. Because the inventory is low, then the price goes up.

Bossard: The supply and demand equation, right?

Mayor Adams: There you are. So now for the first time through our City of Yes, we’re going to be developing all over the city. Not over developing communities, but just enough to say that we can all share the responsibility of housing.

Bossard: Housing, a perennial topic that comes up, especially the need for more affordable housing from our viewers. So good to see work continues on that front. When we talk about keeping up with the times, one of the most recent announcements coming from you is these new driverless cars that we’re going to see piloted in some parts of the city, specifically downtown Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan.

I think the big question coming from a lot of people [is], how do you regulate autonomous vehicles? And of course, keep things safe for those who are inside of the vehicle and everyone outside in a city as busy as New York.

Mayor Adams: People automatically jump to the conclusion that, okay, we’re going to have these for taxis. That is not true. We want our men and women who are taxi drivers to continue to be taxi drivers. It’s good employment, the hardworking men and women, and we believe that is a good middle class income.

We’re testing out the technology and that technology can be used in many ways. And we’re testing the technology, driverless vehicles, they are here. We need to make sure that we’re not displacing employees, but at the same time, we should use the technology to be a benefit.

Let’s say a person who, for whatever reason, is visually impaired and they want to just be able to have control of their lives and not be restricted. So this technology can be used appropriately and we’re looking forward [to it] on our city streets. These are some of the most complicated streets to drive on.

Bossard: If you can navigate New York City, you’re pretty safe to make it anywhere else in this country, at least by my opinion here. In terms of safety, we are confident that the technology is going to keep that in mind as well.

Mayor Adams: A lot of tests. When I was in– I believe, when I was in the borough president’s office, it was the first time I found out about Waymo. So it’s safe technology.

Bossard: All right. Great to hear and very reassuring for a lot of people watching. More conversation right on the other side of this quick break. Stay with us here on News12.

[Commercial Break.]

Bossard: Thanks for staying with us here on News12 for this edition of Ask the Mayor with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Last time you were with us, Mr. Mayor, we were talking about the Bally’s Casino proposal in the Bronx specifically, and since then, you have issued a veto to the City Council’s decision to pretty much halt that proposal from being able to move forward.

Your veto would allow it to continue to be considered by the state. What was your motivation behind that decision, considering that people in the area say, we don’t want this here, and what is your response to the council saying, well, we plan to override that.

Mayor Adams: And they have a right to. They have a right to override the veto. What I was saying is that I’m not for or against any of the projects, and we don’t make the ultimate decision anyway, but why do we deny the Bronx all the time? Why is the Bronx the place where we say always no? I said this is a City of Yes, and the Bronx is part of that City of Yes, and many Bronx electeds supported having an opportunity to discuss and put Bally’s as one of the places that is being considered, and they should have the right to do so.

If you don’t give them the right to do so, then they’re not even in play, and so I think Bronx residents should be part of the conversation, should be part of if the determination is made, they should be part of that conversation, and it’s just wrong to use the council as saying we’re going to prevent the Bronx from having an opportunity to be part of the conversation. Doesn’t mean that they’re going to win it, it just means why are we denying the Bronx once again? I just don’t believe that.

Bossard: Understood. We are inching closer to September, which means November is going to be here sooner than we realize. We just got some new poll numbers that put the Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in a comfortable lead. I think he has more than 40 percent of support based on those polls.

I know the idea of other contenders dropping out, banding together, supporting one candidate in opposition to perhaps Mamdani has been floated around. Is that something that you would at all consider as we get closer to November?

Mayor Adams: The ballot is the ballot. That’s what many people don’t understand. The ballot is going to be Eric Adams, Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, and the last person, I don’t even remember who he is. That is the ballot.

And so we must go after those 2.5 million voters that have yet to vote, a million Independents, hundreds of thousands of Republicans that are going to make a decision, and the process is going to move forward.

And I think voters must decide, you know, if we would have listened previously when Mamdani was 1 percent in the poll, we would have had a different primary winner if he would have dropped out.

Bossard: And a long way to go between now and November. Mr. Mayor, thank you as always for the time and for the conversation, and thank you all for watching. We’ll see you next time here on News12.

August 27, 2025 Manhattan, New York

Sources: NYC.gov . Big New York News BigNY.com
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August 28, 2025
CLUBHOUSE CURE! Adams touts 13 new mental-health hubs on WBLS, blames NYCHA receivership for 5K empty apartments, vows fix for trash-pail blues

On Aug. 24, 2025, Mayor Eric Adams hit 107.5 WBLS’s “Hear From the Mayor” to hype the clubhouse model—free, open 365 days, and aimed at jobs, housing, and belonging—with 13 newly contracted sites citywide targeting 6,600 members by 2027. Joined by Venture House Bronx’s Faqueni Ravel, Adams praised recovery-through-work while callers torched City Hall over more than 5,000 vacant NYCHA units; he said control is limited under receivership and an ~$80B repair backlog. Another listener griped about disappearing DSNY pails, and Hizzoner vowed to crack down and get bins put back where they belong.

Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts “Hear From the Mayor” Radio Show

Gary Byrd: As you know, each and every second Sunday of the month, normally WBLS is proud to welcome the 110th mayor of New York City and second mayor of color, first hip-hop mayor in the city’s history. But we’re on an extended schedule this month and proud to bring back our mayor, Mayor Eric Adams on 107.5 WBLS. Mr. Mayor, good morning and welcome.

Mayor Eric Adams: Hey, thank you, Gary. And yesterday was a really somber but powerful moment for a good brother, Brother Lloyd Williams. And he just meant so much to so many people in general, but specifically he meant a lot to me. And so I was happy just to celebrate a life well lived. So I want to say to the audience, welcome back.

This is Hear from the Mayor, your mayor, Eric Adams, and if this is your first time tuning in, the purpose of this show is just to have a dialogue and hear directly from you. So listeners should give me a call and hear directly from your mayor on what we are doing to build a better New York. And you can sign up to hear more from me by visiting nyc.gov/HearFromEric. You can sign up on our website to text with Eric and talk with me on WhatsApp.

For today, though, please feel free to call in 212-545-1075. I want to say happy Sunday to everyone. And really, this is such an important topic that we’re going to have today. I have an amazing sister here, Faqueni Ravel, director of Venture House Clubhouse in the Bronx. And many people say, what is a clubhouse? What does that mean? And I didn’t even know what it was until I got into the Mayor’s Office.

I was hearing about it when I was campaigning and just really impressed with clubhouses. And we’re going to let sister Ravel just share with us the foundation of it. But let me say this. Everyone is going through some form of mental concern, I would like to say. Some is more severe than others. All of us feel a level of sadness sometimes, a level of depression sometimes. Some is more severe. And we need to be there for our fellow New Yorkers as they experience a level of mental illness.

But it’s nothing to be ashamed about. And you should not feel as though you cannot communicate with those who understand how to cycle us out of those moments. And that is what we believe clubhouse, the model, is one method that should be used. So I want to really celebrate this administration and what we have done.

We opened the first time in nearly 30 years, we’ve opened up a process for new clubhouses to be opened. And as a result, our administration has opened 13 newly contracted clubhouses across the five boroughs to serve adults living with severe mental illness. And the numbers are impressive, 6,600 members by 2027 is our goal. And our guest today is going to really break this down for you. So Faqueni, can you just first tell us, what is a clubhouse? The ABCs of a clubhouse.

Faqueni Ravel, Director, Venture House Bronx Clubhouse: ABCs. Well, good morning, everybody. I’m excited to be here. Thank you, Mayor Adams, for inviting us over and for your leadership in New York. We’re proud and we’re very excited to be here and to talk about the best kept secret, right? It’s been the best kept secret for such a long time until the Mayor Adams administration has put a spotlight on it. And the clubhouse model is good news for people with mental health issues.

It’s like the gospel of it. It’s a community-based model that helps individuals work side-by-side and gain access to employment, housing, civic engagement, the arts. They work and help us run the clubhouse side-by-side. We have units devoted with goals, a mission, and a vision. We have a commercial kitchen where members come and they work with us.

You have the administration unit, you have an education and employment unit, and the clubhouse model is to help focus on the strengths rather than the illness, right? So members are much more engaged and they’re able to apply their talents in the work that they like to do. So it is rooted in the concept that work is restorative.

So there’s conventional ways of treatment and therapy and that helps, right? We want to get our therapy, we want to take our prescribed medications, but then what happens later when a person leaves their psych office and doesn’t have a place to be? So they come to the clubhouse.

Mayor Adams: And that’s what I enjoyed about the clubhouses that I have visited. And I think the best way, in my layman analysis, is that when you’re dealing with severe mental health illness, you go to your medical professional for your help. And then when you leave that medical professional’s office, who is there to support you as you find your way to continue being part of society.

So when you walk inside the door of a clubhouse, you’re not judged, you’re not afraid to state what you’re going through to help you get through what you’re facing. And that’s what I saw. When I was up in the Bronx, at Venture, I saw people who came in shy, afraid to talk about their mental health illness. But then the clubhouse, all of a sudden, said, you’re not alone. And you do it in a creative way, such as cooking. How does that help people reintegrate themselves?

Ravel: Absolutely. So like I said before, when they walk in, and thank you, Mayor Adams, for saying that, they walk in sometimes highly medicated, right? Or sometimes they walk in and do not want to speak with anybody. And once they feel the energy, the clubhouse, each clubhouse has its own culture. And they’re introduced through a tour. And once they start working in a unit, first, in their minds, they’re stigmatized. They’re also marginalized.

They have been told that they’re unable. And once they start working in something that’s meaningful, and they start connecting with others that have, they might have the same diagnoses. So they’re working side by side with a member and a staff. They’re able to not just reintegrate into the clubhouse overall, and they start running and they start taking initiatives. They start taking leadership. They become stakeholders of every work that we do there. And they start to have that voice that was taken away from the mental health issue that they might be living, right?

So they speak on these things, and the recovery is seen throughout their attendance and their participation in the clubhouse community. And they just slowly but surely, organically, they integrate. And it shows, and it equals to recovery overall. When someone is out there, I mean, you could be completely sane and not have a job, and you feel like you’re coming down with something, right? So the minute that you feel that you have purpose and you have value, and you’re able to identify your own strength and be attached to a specific meaningful task, then that’s recovery, that’s reintegration.

Mayor Adams: You know, it is as though when I visit the clubhouse, particularly up in the Bronx, it is as though people are invited and they’re saying, it’s okay not to be all right, because we’re going to help you be all right. You know, and finding ways to do that.

Now, I know I saw the cooking, they were preparing their own meals, and the food was excellent. What are some of the other things that they do to take a person from that shyness, that feeling as though that no one understands what they’re going through, to, okay, you’re fitting, you have a home here?

Ravel: Absolutely. So we tried, this is a person-centered care approach. And the first thing we want to let the individual know is that we know that you’re here, we’re all in this together, let’s work together. So besides the commercial kitchen that we run, there are other units devoted into certain tasks, like education and employment. And we have members there that are seeking employment and helping other members to seek employment and seek education.

We have members helping other members, you know, seek housing and obtain housing as well through these units. We have members working in the newsletter, publishing the outcomes that are happening in the clubhouse, spreading the news, right, presenting the model also to other CBOs and other entities, spreading the good news of this psychosocial rehabilitation model.

So they’re getting engaged. They’re also building these meaningful relationships, which helps members find themselves, right? And they’re able to say and apply what they have learned and also apply their strength in making sure that the clubhouse is working in a sense that that brings recovery overall and rehabilitation.

Mayor Adams: And you know, I think about that song, I never thought I’d be quoting Barry Manilow, but I think about that song, I made it through the rain. And basically, I got my respect from those who made it through the rain too. And so people who are in the clubhouse, the senior members or members who have been there and made that transformation, they made it through the rain. And now they’re helping others make it through the rain too. And it means a lot. Absolutely.

Ravel: Absolutely. Because you have these people that it’s hard for them to sustain relationships. It’s hard for them to make friendships. It’s hard for them to keep a job. It’s hard for them to have a job. So when they come and they make it through the rain, right, and they see someone else that came out of that rain, they build that connection. And membership is for life.

So with membership being for life, it’s a clear indication that their relationship might be for life, right? And usually people that are living with mental health issues, right, because you hear voices or you’re depressed, statistics show that it’s really hard for them to sustain a relationship, right?

So some members just come in and they don’t want to do work. And they just, I just want a place to be. I just want to be here. And we make sure that we help them feel wanted, expected, and needed. And they are needed because we are unable to run the clubhouse without their help. And we’re understaffed on purpose. If we do the work, then we’re taking recovery from them.

So we promote the sense of urgency that, and then they say, okay, you know what? I’m good at cooking. I’m going to go cook. And you know what? I’m good at speaking. I’m going to go speak about this model. I’m good at doing administration things. You know what? I’m going to be a receptionist. And they welcome the other members. And we all, if the cloud rains on one member, it rains on all of us, right?

Mayor Adams: I love that. And that energy. Now, let’s say if we were to remove our clubhouses, then a person is home, often home alone, or sitting in a dark place somewhere, not feeling as though they have a purpose. And so absence of the clubhouse, you are dealing with a lot of the issues of loneliness. Loneliness is a very important social determinant to help when people feel lonely. And so we’re going to be back.

We’re going to take a break now. But we’ll be back to field your calls. You can ask anything you want about the clubhouse or any other topic that we’re hearing. Faqueni is here to really share that experience. So you can call 212-545-1075, 212-545-1075. We’ll speak to you on the other side of the break.

Byrd: The program is Hear From the Mayor. And as you hear, the mayor wants to hear from you. 212-545-1075 is the number to call. Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Long Island, Staten Island, Westchester, wherever you are, 212-545-1075. We’ll come back right after these messages from 107.5 WBLS.

[Commercial Break.]

Mayor Adams: And we’re back. We’re looking forward to hear from you and get your thoughts. 212-545-1075. So let’s go to the first caller. Caller, you are in the air. Caller, you’re in the air. Okay. So while we [wait] for our caller, why don’t we dig into the clubhouse model a little more. Tell me, Faqueni, what are the hours of operation?

Ravel: Great question. So Venture House in particular, Venture House Inc. has been around for over 37 years and we have steps to schedule. We’re open 365 days of the year. And I don’t know if I mentioned that membership is free. And we’re open Monday through Friday for a work order day task. We’re open 9 to 4, 9 to 5 rather. And we have social programming and we’re open from 9 to 8 p.m. We’re open on Saturdays from 10 to 3. And on Sundays, we’re also open for the same time frame.

Mayor Adams: You know what I learned in my policing days that the highest number or one of the highest periods of suicides occurs around holidays, you know, because people are not with family. There’s a great level of sadness. Are you open during the holidays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, all of those holidays?

Ravel: Actually, Thanksgiving is actually the day that we serve the membership. We, it is a tradition for us to make the meal and serve the members. It brings joy. It brings– it actually helps us become more integrated as a family.

This is how you see those individuals that do not have anybody, they come to Venture House and they sit and have a meal with us. So we’re open 365 days a week. Yes, every Christmas, we’re there sending them letters. And for those who are not coming, we’re not able to see them. We are reaching in and reaching out so they can come in for Christmas, Thanksgiving. We celebrate every holiday. We have the members and staff working. But it’s amazing.

Mayor Adams: I think we got a caller on. Caller, you’re in the air. I’m here with Faqueni. If you have a question for me or our clubhouse, please feel free.

Question: Yes. Good morning, Mayor Adams. My name is [Joe Gonzalez.] I’m calling from Brooklyn, New York. You often speak about housing issues. And it was recently developed that there are in excess of 5,000 empty apartments in the New York City Housing Authority developments. And unfortunately, many people believe that that’s part and parcel of a plot to just wipe out public housing. And so can you speak to the pain of people who believe that? And second, can you with specificity reveal when those 5,000 apartments going to start getting filled with needy people? Thank you and have a good day.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, thank you so much. One of the most disappointing aspects of our NYCHA situation is how little control the mayor has over NYCHA. When you look at the fact that it is in receivership and there’s a special monitor that’s in charge, hiring and firing is not within my scope because, trust me, when I looked at some of the things that happened over at Riis Houses when there was a water scare, I stepped up and said, listen, we need to take immediate actions. And they said, Eric, you don’t have the authorization to do that.

We need to give control back to the mayor and let the mayor be held fully responsible like we did with our school system. And so when you talk about those housing, all those housing units should be repaired. Some of them are taking longer than others. They have to be led abatement. Our NYCHA stock is a stock that has been ignored far too long. It has almost an $80 billion capital deficit. We need help on the federal and the state level.

They’ve walked away from NYCHA. We have done successful things. We included NYCHA in our housing plan, which has never been done before. We’ve also were able to go to Albany and get what’s called their housing land trust. Sheepshead Bay was one of the first areas where the tenants voted on the improvements in NYCHA. We must do something differently, get those units back online. But we have to repair NYCHA, not with a Band-Aid, but with real ideas that we have presented to rebuild our NYCHA stock. Thank you for that call. Caller, you’re in the air.

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: Good morning.

Question: I just have one issue. Is there anything that you can possibly do when sanitation comes around after they take the garbage, if they can put the garbage pails back in front of the property? I’ve lost two brand new garbage pails, and they’re quite expensive. Every week, I have to stay up until two, three o’clock in the morning. I have to walk sometimes a block away. Your garbage pail cannot be found. They don’t put it back in front of the property. Is there anything you can possibly do? I’m begging.

Mayor Adams: Yes, yes, yes. Those pails are expensive. I’m going to speak with the commissioner and just reinforce the policy of putting the pail right back in front. Just basic etiquette on how to do it correctly. Our DSNY members are doing an amazing job. But thanks for that feedback. And I will share it. I’ll share it.

Question: But then I got to get up to walk. Sometimes they come at two in the morning. I have to stay up to go just bring it back inside. I’ve lost three. They’re like up to $54, $55. I’m a senior. I can’t afford that anymore.

Mayor Adams: Yes, and we don’t want that to happen to you. So I’m on top of it. Callers, that music is telling us that the lady is singing, so the show is concluding. But I look forward to being back on with you in the next few weeks. And again, we want to thank our guest that’s here today. Thank you so much for your input.

Ravel: Thank you, Mayor Adams, for your exemplary work. Thank you for taking the initiative and bringing clubhouses [out from] under the rug and making it not just the best kept secret anymore. Right now, there’s been a spotlight. And that’s thanks to your administration from bringing it from awareness to results. You’ve done it under your leadership and Venture House, and all the other clubhouses, want to thank you for bringing clubhouses to our local neighborhood communities.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thank you.

August 24, 2025

Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York News BigNY.com
Midtown Tribune News

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

August 25, 2025
NYPD detective shot in Queens carjacking; Mayor Adams blasts repeat offender laws

Summary: A New York City detective was shot and wounded during a carjacking in Queens on Friday, in what police say was likely a friendly fire incident. Mayor Eric Adams criticized state laws that allow repeat offenders back on the streets, pointing out the suspect, 28-year-old Kevin Dubuisson, was arrested just a day earlier and released with a desk appearance ticket despite a long record of violent crimes. The 12-year NYPD veteran is expected to recover after surgery, while Dubuisson is in custody. Police unions and city officials are calling on Albany lawmakers to act quickly to close loopholes that they say endanger both officers and the public.

Transcript: Mayor Adams Briefs Media With NYPD Commissioner Tisch and Visits Detective Shot in 109th Precinct

Mayor Eric Adams: Today, we are reminded once more of the risk every man and woman that performs public safety in the city, specifically the members of the New York City Police Department, the faces they put on the uniform and that badge, especially with our current state laws that allow for a revolving door of criminal activity. And for dangerous people to be put back on our streets after they have committed crimes, and as recently as yesterday, and on parole, it just sends a terrible signal to our public and a terrible signal to the men and women who repeatedly attempt to apprehend and ensure our city is a safe place.

Patrol officers from the 109th precinct responded to a carjacking of an Uber driver. While at the location, on-duty narcotics detectives from Queens South, who were headed back to their office after executing a search warrant, came across the incident and stopped to help the apprehension. During the apprehension, one detective from Queens South Narcotics was shot twice, wounded in the arm and the leg.

At this time, it appears this was a friendly fire incident. [I’m] thankful these injuries are not life-threatening, and we expect him to make a full recovery. We just visited his mom and his wife, who is expecting a child at this time. And it was a relief to them that their loved one will be okay. And I wanna thank him for his bravery when I visited him. He’s now in surgery at his 12 years of service.

Right now, one perpetrator is in custody and will face justice in the court of law. But I wanted to be clear, regardless of who shot our detective, there’s one person responsible for starting the chain of events that landed us in the hospital today. This is a man who should have been behind bars, not on our streets. He’s a 28-year-old recidivist with a lengthy rap sheet of robbery and assaulting officers who was on parole for a robbery that took place in March. And was literally arrested again and released yesterday with a desk appearance ticket.

Before going out to attempt a carjacking in Queens, he walked out of one of our criminal justice locations. This is a definition, I believe, of insanity. Arresting the same people over and over again and expecting different results. NYPD is gathering more information about the crime, but it’s clear that this individual has no business walking free and endangering New Yorkers.

From day one, this administration has been focused on driving down crime and have delivered results over and over again. But we need help from our lawmakers. We cannot allow repeated offenders to commit repeated violent acts in our city. We know the reality of what that means, and we know what it means to prepare our officers for this dangerous work.

They’re training hard and taking risks. They run towards dangers while others run away. We call them New York Finest for a reason, and we saw that today. And we’re going to continue to support them as they do their job. I’m going to turn it over to the commissioner to give her full details of the events.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Thank you, sir. The information that I am about to provide is preliminary and subject to change. At this point, here is what we know. Earlier this morning, as detectives assigned to Queen South Narcotics were returning to their command after performing a search warrant in the 113 precinct, they encountered officers from the 109 precinct along the side of the White Stone Expressway near 22nd Road engaging a suspect.

That job began when an Uber driver in a black Toyota Highlander was parked just off the service road of the White Stone Expressway at approximately 8:52 AM. A male approaches the vehicle, announces a robbery, and displays what appears to be a firearm to the driver. The driver exits the vehicle and is assaulted by the perp. The driver calls 911 to report the carjacking a minute later at 8:53 AM. The perp attempts to drive away, but the victim still has the vehicle’s keys, forcing the perp to immediately return and collide with another car at the location.

The perp then assaults the victim a second time in an effort to retrieve the keys, tackling the victim to the ground. Having retrieved the keys, the perp starts to slowly drive away and makes a right-hand turn onto 22nd Road. At this point, officers from the 109 are responding to the victim’s 911 call about the robbery in progress. They engage the car in an attempt to make an apprehension.

Detectives assigned to Queen South Narcotics see the patrol officers attempting to make the apprehension and try to assist by blocking the car in. At 8:57 AM, officers discharge their firearms. The perp is not hit, but one of our officers assigned to Queen South Narcotics is struck one time in the right hand and one time in the left leg. He was removed here to Jamaica Hospital.

This incident is recorded on [the] body-worn camera. Blessedly, as the mayor said, our officer is in stable condition and is both conscious and alert. I am pleased to report that I met with him and his family, and he is in good spirits. He is in surgery now. The perpetrator is uninjured and was taken into custody. At this time, this incident appears to be friendly fire as we did not recover a firearm from the perpetrator on scene.

The perp in this incident is identified as 28-year-old Kevin Dubuisson. Mr. Dubuisson has a lengthy violent criminal history with ten career unsealed arrests, including multiple knife point robberies and multiple assaults on police officers. At just 28 years old, he is a four time convicted felon. Mr. Dubuisson is currently out on parole for robbery after being released from prison in March of this year. He was actually arrested just yesterday for theft of service in Manhattan and released with only a desk appearance ticket.

Importantly, prior to the criminal justice reforms of 2020, an individual out on parole would not be eligible for a D.A.T. Mr. Dubuisson also has documented EDP history with the department. Prior to the incident with the Uber driver at approximately 8:40 AM this morning, Mr. Dubuisson attempted to steal a car from a mobile gas station on Parsons Boulevard and 20th Avenue, but was scared off by employees there. Then two minutes later, he attempts to carjack a female on Parsons Boulevard, just steps away from the gas station, but the victim’s husband runs outside and scares him off.

It was then that he encountered the Uber driver on the service road along the Whitestone Expressway. This chain of events, which could have ended quite differently, began because a career criminal, a person who has terrorized victims for nearly a decade, was allowed to continue his violent spree. It is unconscionable that a violent predicate felon who pled guilty to two more robberies was out on the streets to commit his crimes today. That is criminal justice reform for you.

I want to thank the entire staff of Jamaica Hospital. They are taking excellent care of our officer. This is just another reminder of the dangerous situations that our cops confront every single time they put that uniform on. We are praying for a speedy recovery and hope to see our officer home with his family soon. Thank you, and now I’m going to turn it over to Scott.

Scott Munro, President, Detectives’ Endowment Association: Good morning. My name is Scott Munro, the Detective Endowment Association president. I have a message for Albany. Come off your vacation now, get up in Albany, and let’s start working to protect our police, our detectives that are out there working every day. In fact, this detective, thank God he’s okay today. He was out working protecting the people of the City of New York this morning executing a search warrant. And now he’s sitting upstairs in surgery.

We need your help in Albany. It’s just not about retaining police officers. We want police officers to be safe. That’s what we hear. We want them to be safe. Just like the people of New York, we want to be safe. But we want our police officers safe. And it’s about time that the legislators– it’s about time Albany gets together, the assembly and the senate, with the governor, and start working on this.

Get this fixed. It needs to be fixed right away. That should be your first thing on your agenda back in the next couple weeks. It actually should be started tomorrow, right now. Let’s get this done. I’d like to thank the hospital, everybody, the doctors, everybody that’s done a great job with our people here. We don’t want to plan funerals. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to protect the City of New York. Now we need your help, Albany. Thank you.

Question: The firearm, was that a detail in the 911 call, the flash, the central firearm that wasn’t with the weapon?

Chief Joseph Kenny, Chief of Detectives, New York City Police Department: Yeah, so the two different 911 calls that we looked at, the one female from the gas station, she describes what appeared to be a firearm, and the male, the Uber driver, describes that the male perpetrator was armed with a weapon.

Mayor Adams: But he was never found with that gun?

Chief Kenny: That’s correct.

Question: Chief, is it yet clear if the officer who fired realized that the narcotics were at the door of that police, and can you describe the layout? Was this a ricochet or a vehicle that the officer was in, or was it a line of fire?

Chief Kenny: Crime scene is going through that right now. We’ll get the trajectory of who fired what round. But what it appears is that there was a crossfire incident. The narcotics detectors were in the front of the perpetrator car. The 109 patrol was in the rear.

Question: [Inuadible.]

Chief Kenny: Right now it appears three officers from patrol fired.

Question: Can you tell us anything about the officer you mentioned?… [inaudible].

Chief Kenny: No, that’s it.

Question: I have a question for the mayor and the commissioner. So regarding the release of the felon who was arrested yesterday, I mean, it’s all likely that even pre-report he would have been arraigned and released. But is there anything about his release in March that’s particularly troubling beyond the fact that he was—

Police Commissioner Tisch: Yeah, this was a guy who was a violent predicate felon [who was] arrested two more times thereafter. He should not have been out on our streets this morning.

August 22, 2025 Manhattan, New York

Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
Midtown Tribune News

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

August 23, 2025
New York. Mayor Eric Adams Honors Haitian Community at Heritage Reception, Calls for Unity and Resilience (Video)

Summary: At a Haitian Heritage Reception on August 22, 2025, Mayor Eric Adams paid tribute to the Haitian community’s history, resilience, and contributions to New York City. He honored security officer Aland Paoli, who was killed while saving lives during a recent shooting, and urged continued action against gun violence. Adams praised Haiti’s legacy of freedom and resilience, highlighting its role in shaping global history and celebrating Haitian New Yorkers’ achievements in business, education, and public service—including NYC Budget Director Jacques Jiha. Stressing his commitment to immigrant support and equity, Adams said unity is key to overcoming challenges, declaring, “From Port-au-Prince to Brooklyn, we still rise.”

Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts Haitian Heritage Reception

Mayor Eric Adams: Wow, look at this. Look at this crowd. You know, earlier this– a few weeks ago, I was working late and actually it was around six o’clock, we got the call that at 345 Park Avenue, there was a shooting. And in the shooting, when I responded, we learned that four New Yorkers were killed. Later that night, I walked through the building and looked at the tape. And [what] I saw, it was just so heart wrenching. And people talked about losing Officer Islam and other workers.

But I want to talk about our Haitian brother, Aland. We call Aland. What that brother did was unbelievable. And how he tried to save the lives of the people that were in the building. He had that energy of Toussaint. He had that resiliency of this community. And as I watched the sick action of his assassin, and his desire to save the people who were there, it just tore me apart.

And I just want to say as his wife is here, I’m gonna ask her to come on, Rachelle Paoli, if you will come on [stage]. And his beautiful children. I want us to just take a moment, a moment of silence of a life that is worth living because he gave his life to save the lives of others. More people would have been lost in that building if it wasn’t for the courageous actions of the security personnel and our first responding law enforcement.

And when you see a family like this, this is why I am so committed to remove every illegal firearm off our street. And the 23,000 we have removed is just the start of what we need to do. So do something for me. Just raise your hand towards this stage to this family and say silently to yourselves, a word of prayer to lift them up, to give them the hope and the aspiration they need to forge ahead. And just a moment of silence. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here with us.

And so to my Haitian people who are here, I remember going to Haiti a few years ago when I was borough president, you know, I like to believe that Brooklyn is the Port-au-Prince of America. And it was in the middle of a hurricane, and I watched how no matter what is thrown at you, you are so resilient. And America owes you a debt of gratitude because it was due to you whipping Napoleon’s butt that we were able to do the Louisiana Purchase.

But not only that, I think that the councilwomen pointed it out. Because you beat Napoleon so bad, you’re still being held accountable for it. You know, people want to give the impression that this is all by accident. It’s not. Becoming the first Black republic, you pay a price. That’s like the price you pay when you become the second Black mayor.

You know, you will rather live a lifetime in poverty than one day in slavery. And [with] your fighting spirit and fighting energy. And I remember just walking through Port-au-Prince and going up into the mountains and seeing folks just resilient and willing to fight and stand tall. And I remember as a child reading about Toussaint and how he inspired me. He was willing to fight for freedom. And people need to know that. That history has been lost in the conversation.

Don’t be so Yankee-ized that you don’t realize how powerful you are as a country. And it’s significant. One of the highest levels of academic achievements. One of the highest levels in the medical profession. One of the highest levels in starting your own businesses. One of the highest levels of making sure of building institutions.

You have a legacy that is so proud of and we allow people to beat us down so much that we don’t acknowledge how much we have accomplished. You have so much to be proud of. You grace us by being here on Gracie Mansion’s lawn right now. And so we have a lot to do and a lot to accomplish.

And tonight we want to recognize your history, your culture, your contribution that our Haitian brothers and sisters have done from little Haiti and Brooklyn to proud homeowners in Queens. Every place you go, you bring about a level of prosperity and commitment and dedication. So I am proud to be the mayor of the second largest Haitian population in the country. And eventually we’re going to be the first because they’re going to leave Miami and come to New York.

And let me tell you something. We have a $115 billion dollar budget. $115 billion dollars. The largest budget of any city. $115 billion dollars. And you know who controls it? Jacques [Jiha], a Haitian. I don’t spend a dime unless Jacques tells me it’s okay to spend it. And so we need to find our gems within not only city government but the city and that’s what this is all about. Lifting up how we manage crises.

Look at what we manage under Jacques [Jiha]. We manage COVID under Jacques [Jiha]. We manage the migrants and asylum seekers under Jacques [Jiha]. We manage the sunsetting of COVID dollars that left gaping holes under Jacques [Jiha]. We lowered all income tax for low-income New Yorkers under Jacques [Jiha]. Free high-speed broadband under Jacques [Jiha].

Breaking records of building housing in year one, two, and three more than anyone in the recorded history of the city of a mayor under Jacques [Jiha]. More jobs in New York City and the entire history under the city under Jacques [Jiha]. Jacques Jiha. Sorry, Jacques. I’m thinking of Maurice, my mentor. You know, he was another Haitian brother that was there for me.

But Jacques handled his business in this city and he’s going to go down in history as one of the best budget directors the city has ever seen and he is Haitian. And so we’re doing more with our Haitian response initiative, a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and eight Haitian serving nonprofits and CUNY’s Brooklyn College Haitian Students Institute to give resources to provide information to Haitian New Yorkers in your language regardless of their immigration status.

What we’ve done with free legal services, what we’ve done, we’re putting more money in legal services, what we’ve done and all of the issues of uplifting everyone who’s in the city. My obligation as the mayor is not to ask how you got here, but to make sure while you’re here you can provide for your family, provide for your children, receive police support if you need it and get medical attention when it’s required and I’m going to continue to do that.

I didn’t start doing that when I was a mayor. I did it when I was back with 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, state senator, borough president. I’m going to continue the legacy we started many years ago. And so we know these are uncertain and painful moments. We know that. We know what we’re going through right now and I hear all the time folks. I hear all the time people say these are the most difficult moments.

I want to ask all of you something. When wasn’t it a difficult moment for Black folks? Can somebody tell me the year? Because it was a difficult moment for me when I grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, dyslexic, undiagnosed. It was a difficult moment for me when mommy was working three jobs. It was a difficult moment for me when my sister didn’t have her childhood because she had to raise the five of us.

It was a difficult moment for me when we had to eat that hard [] cheese that came from welfare. It’s always been difficult folks, but you know what? We’ve always survived. Because if we are honest in what we say, God is still in charge. And that is what I believe and no matter what is thrown at me in this administration, we have been able to move this city forward and have been successful in the process.

And in your flag states, unity creates strength. It is a measure that recalls your resiliency through struggles in the past and is a symbol for the future that together we are stronger. So from Port-au-Prince to Brooklyn through tragedy and triumph, we will continue to do as Maya Angelou stated. We will continue to rise. We still rise. Thank you so much.

August 22, 2025

Sources: NYC.gov , Midtown Tribune news

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

August 23, 2025
New York. Mayor Adams Vows to Stay in Office, Pushes Back on Corruption Allegations

Summary: New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Friday he won’t resign despite growing political pressure and corruption probes involving close associates. Speaking after a police-involved shooting, Adams dismissed rumors he might step down, saying he will “never quit on New York City.” He defended his record on crime, jobs, and housing while insisting his allies deserve due process. Critics say the scandals raise questions about his judgment, but Adams argued his administration is delivering results and promised to stay focused as the city heads into a heated election season.

Mayor Adams Makes Announcement

Mayor Eric Adams: There was a shooting involving members of the department when they attempted to apprehend an extremely dangerous and violent offender on parole, released yesterday for committing a crime, attempted several crimes this morning. And men like him, dangerous offenders like him, are on the streets of our city because of the action of the reform that Andrew signed into law.

And so when you were calling around to my staff saying, there’s the announcement today that Eric is stepping down, [] no. That cannot happen. I’m not going to leave this city to a beret-wearing, carnival display. I’m not going to leave it to a person who put dangerous laws on the books that hurt us from cannabis to bail reform to 15,000 nursing homes death.

I’m not going to leave this city to someone that wants legalized prostitution on our streets. I’m not going to leave this city to someone that does not understand what it is to run a city that went from being a rapper to an assemblyman and now wants to be the mayor of the most complex city. We’ve come too far to go backwards. That is not going to happen.

I’m never going to quit on the City of New York. We’ve worked too hard to get here, and to those thousands of men and women who serve this city every day, I want to tell them thank you. One of them is that officer who fought to take a dangerous person off the streets. So I wanted to address you because there’s been a lot of questions over the last few days after the indictment of two former employees of City Hall, one DCAS and one here at City Hall.

And one of them is Ingrid. Ingrid is like a sister to me. I love Ingrid. She’s worked with me for over forty years. I served as a police officer with her husband. I know her son, and I know her, and I know her heart. And she and her attorney will deal with the case that’s in front of her. My prayers are with Ingrid, and I wish her the best.

And throughout the number of years that I have known her, I found her to be a hardworking, dedicated member of city government for over 40 years. And with Jesse Hamilton, former state senator, former employee here, I wish him the best as well. I wish them to go through this process and allow their attorneys to do their role. And I am not going to interfere in any way with the process. Our communications with the district attorney’s office indicated that in no way am I involved in any of the reviews that they’re conducting in this manner.

And I’m going to continue to do the job that I’ve done for 8.5 million people. And to New Yorkers, I’m sorry. Instead of us talking about what we have done in this city, instead of us talking about how we brought down crime, brought back jobs, put money back in the pockets of working-class people, revitalized our economy, and made our city safer, we have to deal with conversations like this. But on the campaign trail, I’m going to continue to tell my story and allow you to make the right choices.

I’ve committed my life to this city. As a police officer, as a state senator, as a borough president, and now as your mayor. We have not always gotten it right, but we have never stopped being dedicated to the people of this city. And I’m going to continue to do that as long as you allow me to do so. I’m going to turn it over to the opening for a few questions.

Question: Hi Mayor Adams, I just wanted to ask you specifically, about the case and about what the city is potentially paying for. Well actually, this is a specific question. So Ingrid’s lawyer says she was only trying to help her constituents navigate the city’s onerous bureaucracy. But I wanted to get your take on that since some of those constituents also allegedly bribed her with free food and home repairs and $50,000 wired to her son.

And the second question is, these are people who are very close to you, Ingrid in particular. How can you let New Yorkers know that people who are so close to you, including even your son, have a movie funded by the Argentos who were arrested yesterday. How can you truly believe that you had no knowledge, no information or no understanding or no involvement at all in any of this? These are people who are so close to you that it even involves your son.

Mayor Adams: First of all, it didn’t involve my son. My son wrote, he had a job at Broadway–

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: Are you going to let me answer the question? My son was employed at Broadway Stages. And anything involving the case, you said you spoke to the attorney. Speak to the attorney. I’m not talking about their case. The attorney will handle that.

Question: Is the city paying for the legal fees of anyone who was arrested and indicted yesterday?

Mayor Adams: Speak to corporation counsel. Not of my knowledge.

Question: I actually have a couple of questions. One, I wanted to ask Randy Mastro. You’re a former federal prosecutor. You’ve prosecuted racketeering cases. You’ve prosecuted all kinds of things. What’s your take on this case? Do you think that this goes to the heart of corruption in city government?

First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro: Thank you for asking. I’m not going to comment on the specifics of any case. But I’m not going to remain silent when ancient conduct of people who are no longer in government are being used to smear a government and a city hall and an administration producing every day for New Yorkers. I’ve stood by this mayor’s side for the past five months. We talk every day. We talk about how to resolve issues, how to address questions.

There’s not a single time when he’s given me a direction that wasn’t in the best interests of the city. And the people who work in this building, who are so dedicated, I cannot tell you how proud I am to be their colleague. They are doing the people’s work every day. And they’re doing it honestly. They’re doing it professionally. They’re doing it productively. That’s why crime is down to record lows. Jobs are up to record highs. Affordable housing being produced at unprecedented levels.

That’s why right across the street, [the] Department of Education and the chancellor [are] producing public school student test scores higher in math and reading in every grade, every category. That’s why quality of life is improving in our city. I’m not going to dwell on the past. I came here to help this mayor, this administration, [and] this city [to] focus on the present and the future. And the future is bright. I care about good government. I’ve been a federal prosecutor. I’ve done this job before.

And the work of this administration and the people in this administration, from the mayor on down, I could not be prouder of them. So I’m not going to sit silently by and accept a characterization of how these good public servants are serving this city, because we’re serving this city well and producing unprecedented results for New Yorkers. And I’m not going to let ancient history that will play out eventually in a courtroom one way or the other be the way the work of this administration is described, because we are doing great things for New Yorkers and we’re going to continue to do that every day.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: I have two questions. Number one, your opponents have obviously weighed in and they say it’s a city for sale. It’s Tammany Hall all over again. I wonder if you would respond to that. But also, if you could answer a question about the friendly fire situation with the police officers. Do you think that the police officers broke protocol in the way they handled the case?

Mayor Adams: It’s under investigation, and what we’re clear on, not one shot would have been fired if the perpetrator would have been behind bars where he should have been if we did not have these major changes in our laws. And when you respond to a call of service where the preliminary reports indicated that the person was armed with a weapon, those officers don’t know what they’re responding to.

And I thank God that they took this dangerous person off our streets. And the review will look at it. A shooting team will determine if there are any changes that should be done. But I thank God for those responding officers and how they responded. He was robbing an Uber driver who was just trying to do his job. And those officers didn’t run away. They ran towards the danger.

Question: And in terms of what your opponents have said, do you want to respond to that?

Mayor Adams: No, they’re in their political season. This is what happened in the political season. There are five people who are in the race. Three of them don’t have a record. One of them is running away from his record. I’m the only one that has a record. And when you have a record, people can pick it apart. And as the first deputy mayor stated, it’s a darn good record for this city.

Question: Your staff confirmed they put these down. I was just wondering, first, why? And then the second question is probably more pertinent and serious. What do you say to New Yorkers that see these recent allegations of corruption and bribery, look at the previous allegations and say this reflects poorly on your judgment, sir?

Mayor Adams: First, let me answer your first part about the whistle. Many of these women here are interviewing Andrew Cuomo, and they feel unsafe. They’re going to have a whistle to help them through it, okay? That’s one. Two, this is from previous investigations that is taking place. I said it then, and I’ll say it again. We’re going to deliver for this city as we have done and we will continue to do.

Question: When you were indicted, you suggested that this was politically motivated. Is there anything about these charges that you would like to also connect with that statement you made in the past? And the second question, you are running on the fact that you are tough on crime. So how do you reconcile that with these revelations when people hear about corruption, how [do] you react to allegations?

Mayor Adams: Let me answer both of them. First, the attorneys will determine what are their beliefs on these charges and how to respond. I’ve made it clear, when you’re dealing with cases, respect the attorney process. They all have attorneys. Communicate with the attorneys to get their thoughts. It is not up to me to decide what the thoughts are. I’ll speak with the attorneys.

Tough on crime? I’ve always been tough on crime. From my days as a police officer, state senator, borough president, and now the mayor. And the results of that toughness have proven successful. 23,000 illegal guns removed off our streets. Lowest numbers of shootings and homicides in the first six months of this year.

Our pursuit to do preventive measures with after-school programs for children, summer employment programs. We have been both proactive and reactive. And I’m always going to be tough on crime. And this is not an indicator of me not being tough on crime.

Question: Could you talk a little bit about your relationship with the Argentos? I know that they-

Mayor Adams: I’m sorry, who?

Question: The Argentos. You know, they’ve contributed to your campaigns over many years. You just said that your son Jordan worked for Broadway Stages. Could you elaborate a little bit? How did he get that job? Was that something that you helped him get through the Argentos?

Mayor Adams: I am very clear with my son. My son finds his way. I’m not going to raise a son that cannot find his way. My son has been working and has been finding jobs. He has been doing what he needs to do as he reaches his 30th birthday. He found his way. He went out. He interviewed from his degree in communication. And he found the job. And both Gina and her brother are wonderful people. They’re great New Yorkers. They contribute in the area of their community. They give back. They’re very dedicated to the people of this city.

And I’m not the first elected that they supported. They’ve supported many electeds that they felt understood how important it is to move the city in the right direction. And my heart goes out to both of them because they are, from my interactions with them, they are beautiful people. And they really care about the City of New York. And if you look at their volunteerisms, their contributions, what they’ve done with the 94 precinct in that area, they have continuously given back.

Question: There are those who look at this, your opponents in particular, and will say Eric Adams called the reporters here today to do damage control. Is that what this is, mayor? Is this damage control?

Mayor Adams: No. I want to move around the city, and I don’t want you following me around with the cameras in my faces and the phones in my faces, so I might as well get you all together and explain. And I owe New Yorkers an explanation of what we’re doing. So this is not damage control. It is about communicating with you so that I can do the business out there without you having to follow me around. You can speak to me right here.

Question: Mayor, the election is [getting] more complicated day by day. How do you see the future?

Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, if you would ask those who are regularly here, they would tell you a year ago, I said this is going to be the most interesting election in the history of the city. It turned out to be true. This is New York. New York is a complex place. New York is a place where any given day you can get a call. I got a call early this morning. I have an officer shot. We deal with hurricanes that hit our shores.

That’s why you have to be ready to do this job. In order to do this job as mayor, you can’t go from rapper to assemblyman and then mayor. It’s too complex. There’s too many layers. The first job, a real job, should not be leading the City of New York because you have to respond to these uncertainties. And I challenge all of you, go back. The first time I had to deal with the lawfare of the federal authorities, look at what we did after that. I never wore my personal crisis.

I delivered for the city. City of Yes. Universal after-school program. Paying off medical debt for New Yorkers. Removing the income tax for low-income New Yorkers. I never stopped. I’ve been able to deliver for the city no matter what came at me. And that’s what you need to do if you’re the mayor of the greatest city on the globe, New York.

Question: So, I understand you’re not going to comment on any of the specifics in the case or go over any of those things. But I think, you know, for your employees, the New Yorkers, what message does this send that you’re not condemning these actions? If true, of some of these things that happened, whether it’s your long-term friend Ingrid or anybody like that.

Because, you know, do you believe that it’s okay for somebody to cut through red tape and city government, as you’re saying, just to help people out? But then simultaneously, what– benefiting themselves? What message does that send New Yorkers? And then, is there anything you’d like to address with Winnie Greco this week? You know, whatever that situation is at this point, saying that she accidentally gave a bag full of cash to Katie Honan or she meant it as a gift. Did you want to comment on that at all?

Mayor Adams: Okay. First of all, the message that I’m sending. The message I’m sending is something called due process. Something we all believe in. What makes our country different than other places. And what makes us great. And so, if you condemn someone without their due process [it’s a] slap in the face of what our constitution stands for. Let the due process play out. And you can communicate with their attorneys if you have some questions.

Question: I’m not looking for you to say, Ingrid did this and she should be convicted. I’m just saying, like, to the people that are still working under you. Everybody that Randy Mastro just praised. They’re doing great work here. You know, if any of these allegations, not just Ingrid, not just Jesse, all these allegations, any of these are true. Would you want to condemn that, to say that you are looking to root out corruption in your administration.

Mayor Adams: First of all, you’re being hypothetical and I’m not going to do that with someone’s life. And we have very, very strict guidelines on rooting out and not allowing corruption to be in our administration. And we have [a] Conflict of Interest Board that tells us what we can do and what we can’t do. Do people make mistakes in those Conflict of Interest Board rulings? Yes. Fines are given out all the time often when people make a mistake in what they do. That is why we have a Conflict of Interest Board. We do training. We do all the things that we’re supposed to do. And we’re going to continue to do that.

Question: Would you like to say anything on Winnie Greco?

Mayor Adams: I’m sorry?

Question: Would you like to say anything?

Mayor Adams: I have no idea of the communication between Winnie and the reporter involved. I don’t know what conversation they had. We don’t give money to reporters. I don’t know anything about what took place there. We condemned that type of action. If it was done for the wrong reason, I have no idea. And she’s no longer able to volunteer on the campaign because that’s an action– that is the perception of it, we don’t agree with and I don’t tolerate it.

[Crosstalk.]

Hold on. Don’t stop. Don’t start yelling. Don’t start doing that. All that yelling and screaming because then I am going to bounce. We’re going to take a few more questions, but I got a city to run. Okay? Go ahead.

Question: I’m wondering, do you agree with Ingrid’s lawyer’s characterization of the charges? He said this was politically motivated lawfare.

Mayor Adams: I just answered that. Her lawyer represents her. I don’t represent her in this case. Speak with her lawyer and her lawyer will give you his input. I don’t represent her in this case.

Question: Do you make of the timing? Obviously it’s coming– as you’re seeking re-election, and you had to deal with legal challenges in the past. Do you make anything of that timing?

Mayor Adams: Well, you know, I wake up every day and I deal with the plate that’s in front of me. I don’t say woe is me. I say why not me? I have to succeed no matter what because I’m fighting for New Yorkers. My mother didn’t wake up and say life is tough. She woke up and she delivered for our family and that’s what I’m going to do. So the timing or non-timing doesn’t matter. I got to communicate with voters and voters are going to make the decision what direction we want to go in.

Question: Mayor, you said you were very close to Ingrid, [inaudible]… close to Jesse Hamilton as well. So I’m wondering, were you aware of any allegations or corruption while they were working for your administration? Did anyone raise concerns to you on [inaudible]… favors being given.

And then secondly, the second question is, both of them were very close to you, winning records also very close to you. So I’m just wondering, how do you explain to people in New York the fact that these are, you know, people that you are close to, that you trust, and that they are now facing these sort of criminal charges? You say that doesn’t reflect on you, but I’m wondering how you explain that to New Yorkers who might think that your closeness to these individuals somehow reflects on you and your judgment.

Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, yes, you’re right. She is close to me and I love her like a sister. And she’s in my prayers and her attorney will handle her case.

Question: Were you aware of any allegations of corruption?

Mayor Adams: There were no complaints on her work ethics. In fact, to the contrary, people knew that she knew how to make sure that the people in the city got the services they needed. And she did that in the senate office, in the borough president office, and here as well.

Question: Mayor, I wanted to ask you, are you disappointed at all in Ingrid, Jesse Hamilton, or Winnie Greco’s actions? And I also wanted to ask you, why should New Yorkers trust you, because this is another case, more indictments, to make sure that this isn’t going to continue to happen at least in your first term and possibly in your second term?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think New Yorkers should trust me on how I deliver for the city. I mean, you’ve covered me for some time. You know that we brought down crime. You know that we’ve helped foster care children. You know that we improved grade scores in our schools. You know we build more housing in individual years than any other mayors. You know we took 23,000 guns off the streets. You know what we’re doing for foster care children, for NYCHA residents.

You know what I do. They would trust me if you write about the good things I do. They would trust me. I am fighting for New Yorkers every day, and I get up to do that. And there’s going to be distractions. And New Yorkers, there are things I would have loved to have done differently, but I’m going to live life in my rearview mirror. I learn from those bumps in the road and become a better, not only mayor every day, but a better human every day.

Question: Any disappointment in Ingrid, Jesse Hamilton, or Winnie Greco’s actions?

Mayor Adams: Due process. Due process.

Question: You know, just now you said there were things that you wish you could have done differently [inaudible]… is there anything certainly you could’ve done differently?

Mayor Adams: No.

Question: So what could you do differently then?

Mayor Adams: There’s a lot of things I could do differently in life. I think all of us, everyone that’s sitting here, could look at something they wish they would have done differently. I wish I would have spent more time with my son when he was growing up, instead of being the advocate for everything that I was doing.

There’s a lot of reflection I have on my life, what I could have done differently. And anyone who doesn’t reflect on their life and states that I wish I could have done differently, then shame on you. That means you stayed home every day in the bed. I got up every day and delivered for this city. In every role that I had, I delivered for the people of this city. I’m going to continue to do that.

Question: I have a question again about the [inaudible]. You know, the indictment says that the bribery led to the redesign of McGuinness to get a change. I was wondering, with all these allegations coming out, are you going to go back to McGuinness, the director of DOT, to go back to the original plan or make any changes in response?

Mayor Adams: No. McGuinness, it was a win to sit down and come to a resolution that both sides could agree on. And there will be continuous modifications of our streets. That’s part of what we do. We keep modifying to get it 100 percent right. And from my understanding, there were a lot of conversations. There were people on both sides of the issue. And you have to come to a middle. This is New York. In New York, you know, every one person that wants something, there’s another person that wants something differently.

August 22, 2025 Manhattan, New York

Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
Midtown Tribune News

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

August 23, 2025
NYC to Pay Nonprofits Faster Under New Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams Reform
New York City is rolling out a new pilot program to make sure nonprofits get their money faster. Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced the Discretionary Grant Pilot, which will launch in fall 2025 and slash the payment process for smaller nonprofits receiving $25,000 or less in City Council funds. The program removes 13 steps from the traditional contract system, cutting wait times for payments nearly in half. About 100 organizations will be included in the first year, with hundreds more expected to join in year two. The change comes during NYC Nonprofit Week and is part of a larger push by the Adams administration to reduce contract delays, boost nonprofit worker wages, and strengthen partnerships with community groups that provide critical services like housing, food, senior care, and immigrant support.

Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams
Announce Bold Contract Reform to Help Nonprofits Get Paid Faster

What you should know
- Discretionary Funding Grant Pilot Will Cut Red Tape and Accelerate Payments to Half the Time of Traditional Contract Process for Small-Dollar Awardees
- New Program Eliminates 13 Steps from Contract Process to Help Nonprofits Receive Funding They Need Without Delay
- Announcement Part of Mayor Adams’ “NYC Nonprofit Week,”
- Highlighting City’s Investments and Support for Nonprofits
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams today announced a new pilot initiative to accelerate payments for a selection of small-scale discretionary funding awards and streamline the city’s discretionary funding process. Launching in fall 2025, the Discretionary Grant Pilot will replace the traditional contract process with direct grant agreements for approximately 100 organizations receiving $25,000 or less in City Council discretionary dollars during its first year. The grant pilot will eliminate 13 steps, allowing eligible nonprofits to receive 100 percent of their City Council-allocated funds in nearly half the time of the current contracting process. In its second year, the pilot will be extended to hundreds of organizations that qualify. The pilot addresses long-standing inefficiencies that have required small-dollar discretionary awards to undergo the same complex registration process as multi-million-dollar, competitively bid contracts. As a result, many nonprofits have faced delays before being able to register their contract or submit their first invoices for small-dollar funding awards. This initiative comes as Mayor Adams recognizes “NYC Nonprofit Week” and builds on his administration’s progress in reducing the city’s backlog of unregistered contracts — achieving an 88 percent rate of on-time submissions for the registration of standard human service contracts for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.

“When nonprofits thrive, our city and our people thrive. New York City’s nonprofits do the work millions of our city’s residents rely on — delivering meals to seniors, providing legal services to immigrants, connecting people to housing, caring for our young people, and so much more. In order to ensure that these organizations succeed and continue to support New Yorkers, we need to remove the different barriers and obstacles that stand in the way of their crucial mission,” said Mayor Adams. “The new Discretionary Grant Pilot does just that — revamping the old process and replacing it with a new, streamlined approach to get the money nonprofits need and are owed to them within weeks instead of years. Nonprofits always deliver for New Yorkers, and today, we’re proud to continue delivering for nonprofits.”

“Non-profits provide essential services to New Yorkers through city contracts and funding, but far too often are paid late for their work and forced to shoulder excessive administrative burdens,” said Speaker Adams. “This new Council discretionary grant pilot program, in partnership with Mayor Adams’ administration, will remove excessive barriers to get non-profits their funding faster and with less red tape. The Council is proud to continue our work to ensure that our non-profit sector can successfully deliver New Yorkers the lifesaving care and dignity they deserve.”

Led by the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS), the Mayor’s Office of Nonprofit Services (MONS), and the New York City Council, in collaboration with key partner agencies including the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) and the New York City Department for the Aging (NYC Aging), this pilot will significantly reduce bureaucratic hurdles and speed up payments to the city’s nonprofits — delivering on Mayor Adams’ promise to empower organizations that serve on the frontlines of New York City’s neighborhoods.

Under the pilot, eligible nonprofits will receive one-year grant agreements, bypassing the traditional months-long contract registration process. Once agreements are signed and returned, 100 percent of funds will be disbursed to the nonprofits, allowing organizations to serve their communities without delayed payments.

Nonprofits may qualify for the pilot if they:

·         Were awarded a total of $25,000 or less in City Council discretionary dollars in FY 2026; and

·         Are being funded through one of the following agencies:

·         DYCD

·         NYC Aging

·         New York City Department of Veterans’ Services

·         New York City Department of Small Business Services

The City Council, MOCS, and the contracting agency will determine participating organizations to be chosen as the pilot cohort for FY 2026 and notify them of their inclusion in the pilot. Final announcements are expected in October 2025, with grant agreements to be issued shortly thereafter. Participating organizations will have 30 days to return signed agreements and can expect to receive funding by January 2026.

This initiative builds on the Adams administration’s 2023 multi-year discretionary contract reform and has already shown significant progress in getting City Council discretionary providers paid on time.

In March 2024, the administration committed $741 million toward a cost-of-living adjustment for approximately 80,000 human services workers employed by nonprofits with city contracts. This workforce — 66 percent women and 46 percent women of color — plays a critical role in providing frontline services related to housing, health care, food access, and support for asylum seekers. In total, the administration has now directed over $1.4 billion toward wage enhancements in the sector.

In January 2025, Mayor Adams issued Executive Order 47, formally establishing chief nonprofit officers within city agencies to enhance service delivery, respond to nonprofit partners more effectively, and speed up payment processing. To date, 18 chief nonprofit officers have been appointed and are actively collaborating with nonprofits to drive systemic improvements. Finally, Mayor Adams created the city’s first-ever Nonprofit Advisory Council, bringing together leaders from across the sector to collaborate with MONS and strengthen the connection between nonprofit organizations and city government.

August 21, 2025 Manhattan, New York

Sources: NYC.gov , Big New York news BigNY
Midtown Tribune News

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York
August 21, 2025
New York. Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Tisch Announce Hiring of Largest Police Recruit Class in Almost 10 Years
What you should know
- Nearly 1,100 Police Officers in August Recruit Class Marks Largest Hiring During Adams Administration
- NYPD Recruit Applications During Most Recent Exam Skyrocketed 579 Percent Compared to Before Expanded Eligibility Requirements
- Announcement Builds on Administration’s “End the Culture of Anything Goes” Campaign,
- Highlighting Mayor Adams’ Efforts to Change Culture, Laws, and Investments That Improve Quality of Life and Prevent Public Disorder on City Street
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced the hiring of nearly 1,100 police officer recruits, marking the largest class of officers sworn in by the NYPD since January 2016. The 1,093-person class also breaks the record for the largest NYPD class hired during the Adams administration, previously broken in January 2025, which consisted of 1,045 NYPD recruits. Including today’s class, already this year, the NYPD has hired 2,911 recruits — the highest number since 2006 — with another class still scheduled for this year. During the totality of the Adams administration, the NYPD has already hired nearly 10,000 NYPD police officers when including today’s recruit class, the 773 recruits sworn in the past April who are still in training at the Police Academy, and the more than 8,000 other police officers who have completed their training and already on the streets and subways keeping New York City safe.

Today’s new class of recruits was sworn in this morning and will begin their training at the Police Academy tomorrow, joining a growing force of officers preparing to make the five boroughs safer once they graduate. The recruits reflect the diversity, talent, and experience that define New York City: they hail from 51 different countries, speak 34 languages, and include 80 individuals with previous or current military service.

Today’s announcement also builds on the Adams administration’s “End Culture of Anything Goes” campaign, highlighting Mayor Adams’ ongoing efforts to change city culture, update laws and make strategic investments that improve quality of life and prevent public disorder on city streets.

“Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity, and today’s announcement shows we are investing in the future of both,” said Mayor Adams. “With nearly 1,100 new police recruits — the most in almost 10 years — beginning their training today thanks to expanded eligibility and modernized educational requirements we announced earlier this year, we are building a stronger and more modern NYPD that reflects the diversity, commitment, and determination of our city. These recruits will be part of the nearly 10,000 police officers who have stepped up to serve under our administration, helping us achieve historic reductions in crime and keeping our communities safe. Together, we are ending the culture of ‘anything goes,’ improving quality of life, and keeping New York City the safest big city in America and the best place to raise a family.”

“Today is a defining moment for the NYPD and for New York City — 1,093 new recruits are entering the police academy, the largest class in nearly a decade,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “The single most strategic thing the NYPD can do right now is hire more qualified officers. That’s why we were laser-focused on addressing our recruitment efforts and bringing in the next generation of officers. The momentum is changing, and thanks to Mayor Adams’ support, we will continue to attract the highest level of candidates to protect this city.”

Today’s announcement underscores the administration’s signature investments to make New York City safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family, while maintaining record-high reserves and ensuring a strong fiscal future. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Adopted Budget — which builds on the “Best Budget Ever” — includes $3.4 billion for approximately 34,000 police officers, including four academy classes, and FY 2027 is funded to support a uniform force of 35,000.

In February 2025, NYPD Commissioner Tisch announced a three-part plan to attract more candidates and modernize education requirements to address the hiring crisis the NYPD has faced in recent years. The NYPD was one of the only remaining big-city municipal police forces in the country with a college credit requirement — which limited its ability to compete for applicants with other local agencies and major cities nationwide. As a result of the changes announced in February, the department reduced barriers to employment by reforming the required college credit minimum to enter the Police Academy from 60 credits to 24 credits. The new plan also emphasizes physical fitness by reinstating the previous long-standing requirement of completing a timed 1.5-mile run. Additionally, a recent reassessment conducted by the National College Credit Recommendation Service determined that the completion of the six-month NYPD Police Academy recruit training program is equivalent to 45 college credits, an increase from the previous 36 credits. Graduates of the academy will now enter the NYPD with a minimum of 69 college credits.

Following this expanded eligibility announcement, daily applications increased by almost 332 percent, from an average of 53.5 filings per day to 231.5 per day. During the most recent exam, that average skyrocketed 579 percent, with an average of 363 daily filers. There were more than 5,000 individuals registering to take the latest police exam in just 14 days. This massive increase reflects renewed interest in New Yorkers in serving the city.

The Adams administration’s focus on public safety has already produced historic results. From January 2025 to July 2025, New York City experienced the lowest number of shooting incidents and shooting victims in recorded history. These historic numbers helped drive down major crime categories into the seventh consecutive quarter, with a 5.6 percent drop in July 2025 compared to the same month last year. Overall index crime across New York City is down 5 percent year-to-date, with reductions in homicides, robberies, burglaries, felony assaults, grand larcenies, vehicle theft, shootings, transit crime, housing crime, retail theft, hate crimes, and more — resulting in 3,605 fewer victims of crime in New York City so far this year compared to the same period last year. These record-low crime statistics build on the Adams administration’s work to remove more than 23,200 illegal guns from New York City streets since coming into office, including more than 3,400 illegal firearms already removed year-to-date.

Mayor Adams has also invested in broader public safety initiatives to keep communities safe. He has launched a $500 million blueprint to keep communities safe from gun violence, surged police officers into the subways to help reduce crime in the transit system, released plans to crack down on auto thefts and combat retail thefts, hired additional mental health clinicians to support people with untreated severe mental illness and announced plans to pilot new technology in the subways, and expanded the Saturday Night Lights youth program to keep young people safe and engaged.

Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Tisch also expanded the NYPD’s Quality of Life Division — a strategic public safety initiative launched in April 2025 that brings together specially trained officers from existing NYPD community-oriented roles to address chronic quality-of-life issues and strengthen community trust — to all five boroughs earlier this week. The division, made up of Q-Teams, will expand to housing developments citywide next month.

Through these combined efforts — recruitment, budget investments, and innovative programs — the Adams administration continues to prioritize safer streets, stronger communities, and a modernized police force prepared to meet the challenges of a 21st-century New York.

Interested applicants can learn more and apply by visiting the NYPD recruitment website.

August 20, 2025 MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Sources: NYC.gov/
August 20, 2025
New York. Mayor Adams Calls In for Interview on 94.7 the Block’s “Jonesy in the Morning”

Tarsha Jones: Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the rat controller, the rat czar himself, Mayor Eric Adams. Good morning.

Mayor Eric Adams: Hey, sister. Good to speak with you this morning.

Jones: You did it. You did it.

Mayor Adams: You know, when you start out doing something, you accomplish that task.

Jones: You stayed the course. You did not let up. Now they’re complaining about the– they’re complaining about no parking spaces from the rat garbage cans that you put out there. They’re never, they’re never, they’re never satisfied.

Mayor Adams: You know what? That’s why you have to just stay focused. You know what your mission is. And we heard back in ‘22, when we first came into office, rodents were everywhere. And a young lady stopped me the other day. She’s a small property owner. I was in Harlem. She said, “Where did the rats go?”

Jones: We missed that. The []. Well, congratulations on that, because we’d be quick to attack you anytime something’s wrong. And finally, an issue that affected just about everybody in New York. We’re starting to see some progress. So kudos to you for that, mayor.

Mayor Adams: You know, when you add the progress of, you know, dealing with our road issue, our trash issue, you add the progress of dealing with gun violence and removal of guns on the street, how we decreased the numbers. You know, some of the lowest records in history. And then you add the job progress. You know, dropping unemployment in the Black community by, you know, over 20 percent in the Black and brown community. And dropping it citywide.

You start to really peel back and understand how much we have turned the city around, around public safety [and the] economy. And then add to that the scores that just recently came out with our children. And the reading and writing scores have increased because of what we’re doing in our schools.

So it’s just, the record is a clear record of just real progress in our city. And that’s the message I got to get out to everyday New Yorkers [of] how much we have improved the city. And we should all be proud as New Yorkers, the city is moving in the right direction.

Jones: It is. It absolutely is. And I also want to thank you for jumping in so quickly and putting together a mass shooting, an investigative team based on the mass shooting that took place in Crown Heights over the weekend.

Mayor Adams: Really, really sad and it hurts us all.

Jones: That’s horrible.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, our heart goes out to the families. And when you look at it and see that, you know, two of the shooters have been identified.

Jones: Good.

Mayor Adams: And they were shooting at each other.

Jones: But everybody else be []. Like everybody else be []. But you swooped right in and put together that squad to get to the bottom of the mass shootings. That was in record time.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, no, because we wanted to really deal with the retaliatory action that comes after a shooting. You know, oftentimes people don’t realize the shooting spurs other shootings. And so hats off to the crisis management team of one group that covered that area. It’s called Elite Learners. And they’re doing an amazing job. Shooters in that area have dropped by 60 percent because of what they’re doing.

And they were on the ground. And so this mass shooting should not tarnish the good work that they’re doing in the other crisis management teams. So the mass shooting response includes getting our crisis management team members on the ground, supporting each other, and really stopping further harm to the community and individual people.

Jones: I agree. We are on the phone with Mayor Eric Adams, ladies and gentlemen. If you have a question, try and call 844-947-0947. No guarantees that I’ll be able to actually get through to you, but give it a try. And we’ll be back with more of him when we return.

[Commercial Break.]

[Audio Drop.]

Mayor Adams: … And that’s been used as evidence to further investigate the case and make sure we finally got what happened there.

Jones: Thank you for that. Also, thank you for shutting down the beaches. I know you’re probably getting backlash for that. Although, you know, with the weather and the riptides and the hurricane that’s approaching, that was very responsible and, again, quick thinking.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, you know, and people don’t realize the riptides and the heavy waves. You may not realize it. You may not think that it’s going to impact you because you’re a good swimmer. But in reality, it is dangerous, extremely dangerous, even for good swimmers. And so the decision was to nearly close down for today and tomorrow. Now, the hurricane may not hit land here. That’s what the National Weather Service is telling us. But it still would impact the coastal areas.

So low-lying areas, people should be prepared. They should have to go. They should have to go back. And they should be, you know, really locked into NotifyNYC. So they’d be prepared for it. But you’ve got to be very careful. Even when the hurricanes don’t hit our shores, it still could be extremely dangerous.

Jones: Right. The riptide’s been ripping before this hurricane even got on the sphere. So thank you for saving people from themselves.

Mayor Adams: Well done. Well said.

Jones: Thank you. There’s a 6-year-old child and a mother and another 20-year-old high school student arrested because of these ICE arrests, and you have stepped up. Well, go ahead and tell everybody what you have done.

Mayor Adams: You know, we’ve done a—when it comes down to those who are undocumented in the city, we’re a big believer that we should put people on the pathway to a green card of citizenship. And we’ve done a lot to do that. We’ve put money in our Best Budget Ever. We’ve put money into legal services. and we also put people on the pathway of getting a work authorization because people want to work, and we don’t want people depending on the government.

And part of the process is showing up for your court cases. If your court case is up on a docket, you come in, you have to come in for your visit. And we believe when people go to court, they should not be arrested while going to court or held in custody, I should say held in custody, and then later deported while they go into court because that makes people fearful to carry out the process.

Jones: Right, and that’s by design. That’s a setup.

Mayor Adams: Right, right. And, you know, I always talk about when I was a rookie cop, a Chinese immigrant was being robbed while I was off duty and I took action, and he was afraid to come forward because he was an immigrant. And people were preying on immigrants back then. Because they knew they were afraid to go to the police.

So we want to encourage people to go to the police, children to go to school, and all the other activities, and not feel as though that they’re going to be held, you know, in custody because they’re showing up. Now, if the person is wanted for a serious violent act, then we believe ICE should take action. You know, they should do what’s right and apprehend that person, but not innocent people who are going to court to follow the process.

Jones: I hope that the court sides with you and the other reps that are filing the suit to stop this heinous activity. But is it too much, too little, too late?

Mayor Adams: Well, number one, when you take these cases– number one, you want to set precedent. And number two, you want to give the opportunity for the person to be returned back to another city they were deported from. And so it’s like you saw. Some cases where people were returned back. And so it’s, no, it’s never too little, too late. Because precedent is very important in these cases.

Jones: Are they allowed to go to the schools and snatch these kids out of school? Because school’s about to start, and the kids might be afraid to show up. Are the ICE agents allowed to go and sit outside the schools and snatch them up as we stand today?

Mayor Adams: No, no, no, they’re not. You cannot go into the schools unless you have what’s called a federal judicial warrant that allows you to do so. So, no, they cannot go into the schools.

Jones: Can they stand outside the school and wait for the kids to come out and say, oh, that looks like this person that we, or they look of dissent. So let’s snatch them up.

Mayor Adams: Yes, technically they can. Technically they can. But we have had no actions at all where they stood out to schools and, you know, grabbed children. And in this case with the child, they took the family while they were showing up for court proceedings. They took the family, and this young child was included in the family. But technically they can stand outside the schools, but we have had no cases involved in that. And they cannot go inside the schools and take a child.

Jones: Thank you, Mayor Eric Adams. I appreciate you always checking in here every other Wednesday, guys. And be safe out there. Keep up the good work. Don’t get distracted.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Stay focused, no distractions, and grind. That’s my message.

August 20, 2025

Sources: NYC.gov

August 20, 2025
NYC’s New Motto: Merit Is Out, Quotas Are In!

In a groundbreaking move toward progress, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has been awarded the prestigious M/WBE Excellence Award for successfully handing out over $1 billion in contracts—not to the best companies, mind you, but to the right demographic groups. Because who needs an open market when you can have open favoritism?

At the Mayor’s 2nd Annual M/WBE Celebration, city officials patted themselves on the back for their unwavering commitment to diversity-based spending—which, as we all know, is far more important than competence, efficiency, or taxpayer value. With an impressive 36% M/WBE participation, NYCHA is proving that the best way to fix public housing isn’t by hiring the most qualified contractors, but by making sure the checkboxes are filled.

Of course, some outdated folks (probably clinging to their dusty copies of the Constitution) might argue that awarding government contracts based on race and gender instead of merit is, well… discriminatory. Silly them! Haven’t they heard? Equal protection under the law is so last century!

Here’s the new reality: If you’re a business owner in NYC, your qualifications don’t matter. Your experience doesn’t matter. Your ability to complete the job on time and on budget? Totally irrelevant. What truly matters is whether you fit the city’s preferred identity categories. Because nothing says “progress” like institutionalized discrimination with a feel-good label!

So, let’s all give a round of applause to NYCHA for boldly leading us into a future where meritocracy is just a distant memory, and corruption hides behind the banner of “equity.” Bravo, NYC!

Coming Soon: The City’s Next Bold Move—Hiring Firefighters Based on Diversity, Not Ability! What Could Go Wrong?

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P.S. From comments: The U.S. Constitution guarantees equality for all, yet this policy discriminates based on race and gender. Government contracts should be awarded based on merit, not identity quotas. This kind of favoritism violates the principle of equal protection under the law.

March 24, 2025