Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pinned his recent political problems on race, saying recent attacks against him are due to his administration being made up of people of color.
Adams, who has struggled to contend with the city’s unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants and is facing an FBI investigation into his mayoral campaign, told a town hall in Brooklyn late last week he is being attacked just like New York City’s first Black mayor, David Dinkins.
"We are moving the needle forward," Adams said. "Is there more to do? You’re darn right there is, but this committed team is getting it done."
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He then pointed to five of his deputy mayors who are all women and people of color.
"Stand up, stand up, they need to see you," Adams said as he called them out one by one.
"Have you ever seen this much chocolate lead in the city of New York?" Adams said to an applauding crowd.
His deputy mayors are Sheena Wright, Anne Williams-Isom, Meera Joshi, Ana Almanzar and Maria Torres-Springer.
"And then go down the line, look who's here. This is representative of the city. That's why people are hating on me. You're trying to figure out, why the hating on me?"
According to the 2020 census, the city's population is made up of 30.9% Whites (non-Hispanic), 28.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Black or African American (non-Hispanic), 15.6% Asian and 0.2% Native American (non-Hispanic).
Adams did not specify who was attacking him and compared his ascension to the mayor’s office to that of Jesus entering the temple. Adams has also clashed with the White House over the migrant crisis.
"How many of you go to church?" Adams asked the attendees.
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"This is a Matthew 21 and 12 moment. Jesus walked in the temple, he saw them doing wrong in the temple. He did what?" Adams asked.
"I went to city hall to turn the table over."
In Matthew 21:12, Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers.
Adams then mentioned more of his diverse administration.
"First woman police commissioner of color. First Spanish-speaking police commissioner. First Spanish-speaking correction commissioner. Go through the line of what we're doing in two years."
Adams compared his tenure to that of former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, who was the first African American to be elected to the office, and said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani benefited from his predecessor's legislation.
"It took us 30 years after what they did to David Dinkins, and who did we get after David Dinkins? Giuliani," Adams said.
"It was a set-up for a setback, that's what it was.
"And you know what happened with David Dinkins? They wore him down so much that black folks didn’t come out to vote. They said, ‘You know what, we’re not coming out.’ They just beat him and wore him down over and over and over again.
"David Dinkins was the one who passed the legislation for safe city, safe streets that allowed us to get the resources we needed to bring down crime in our city. And who benefited from it? Giuliani. Giuliani."
