Transcript: Mayor Adams Announces Up to $15,000 Reward for Information Leading to Arrest and Conviction Against Those Who Vandalized World War I Memorial in Central Park

May 7, 2024

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you very much. I am Eric Adams, the mayor of this amazing city, New York, and, I can almost recall, like it was yesterday, that Commissioner Iscol came to me with a record dealing with the loss of my Uncle Joe, who died in Vietnam at 19-years-old. 

He was hesitant to give it to me, because you think the pain of losing someone that fights to defend this country, you bury it. Then there was a sad reality of knowing, at 19, he lost his life defending this country. 

That is why we're here today. I want to be extremely clear. In spite of the unpopular notion that people don't want to say it, I want to say it. I love America. I love America. I'm proud to be a citizen of America. The reason we are here is because of men and women like this statue behind us. We cannot remain silent when our symbols of freedom are desecrated by individuals who clearly hate our country and hate our way of life. 

I am not going to remain silent. We should not remain silent, because our silence gives the belief that everything is okay and it is not okay. Not only was this statue desecrated, but down the block, another statue was desecrated. We know how important free speech is to this country. It's the core of our democracy, one that many Americans, like the symbols of these men, fought and ensured that it would stay intact. It's a unique qualification that this country is so proud to have. 

The right to free speech, the right to protest the right, is something that we will always fight to keep in place. These heroes of World War I, who this memorial is honored by, and if you look closely and read the history of this memorial, it is not like others where they lift up generals and high-ranking individuals. This memorial is reflected of the common man, the common woman, everyday soldiers who died and sacrificed their lives on the field of battle. And it's painful. It's painful for me, and it's painful for others, and I'm sure it's painful for my two commissioners who are here, who fought and served this country, to watch this desecration take place right in front of them in the country that they defended and fought for. 

Being vandalized by cowards, in the name of protest, one of the very freedoms that is enshrined in the memorial of the individuals who are here and died. And it's at the face of what commissioner has done, Sue Donoghue, has done for years to keep our parks at the level of care and nurture. This is at the foot of what children play and what we believe should be a symbol of our strength. 

They are crimes, and they will be treated as one. Today, I'm announcing $5,000 of my personal money for the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for this act. Crime Stoppers, they also joined me. They have announced a $10,000 reward as well in the Crime Stopper tips hotline. We're going to be handing out these flyers for people in the areas who may have witnessed what happened. We're going to canvas the area. We're going to treat this crime with the seriousness that it deserves. 

Detective Kenny is here, Commissioner Daughtry and Chief Chell, they're here. This is a top priority for us to solve this crime. I'm not just putting my money where my mouth is. I'm going to put it where my heart is. My heart is in this city and in this country, and I would not stand by while people desecrate memorials for those who fought for democracy and human rights. 

The same rights that they are calling for, they are desecrating the lives of people who fought for that. I want to assure New Yorkers that our city will not tolerate chaos and disorder, even if those who are creating it claim to be doing so in the name of peace. We want [you] to bring your anger and passion to the protests, but don't bring your hate, don't bring your violence and don't bring your disorder.

Threaten to change history, but let's not threaten each other. 

I want to thank everyone from the Parks Department and the Central Park Conservancy for immediately removing — you still see remnants of the graffiti that was placed here because of the porousness of the bricks, but they did a good job to immediately address the issues that's in front of us with the desecration. Their quick response and cleanup sent the right message. We're going to immediately respond, and we're working to address the additional acts of vandalism just down the street at Grand Army Plaza, the Manhattan Grand Army Plaza, not the one in Brooklyn. 

We're going to be swift with our response. We're going to be swift with our actions, and we're going to be swift to ensure those who attempt to bring disorder to the city would not accomplish their task. This is the greatest city on the globe because it's in the greatest country on the globe. We're able to say that because of the men and women who placed their lives on the line to sacrifice for that freedom. One of those is the commissioner of the Office of Emergency Management who fought for this country. I want to bring him up now. Commissioner Iscol.

Commissioner Zach Iscol, New York City Emergency Management: Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you all for being here today. Mr. Mayor, thank you for your words. Thank you for your support for the veterans community and thank you for setting this standard. 

Last summer, I took my son, Wolf, to Normandy for the 79th anniversary of Normandy in World War II. A different war than the memorial behind us, which is World War I. We walked the beaches where his great-grandfather, my grandfather, landed. We went to the cemetery at Normandy. There's a quote on the wall at the cemetery that sort of amounts to the fact that Americans have fought overseas, and all that we've asked for is enough land to bury our dead. All that we've asked for is enough land to bury our dead. 

As the mayor said, this memorial behind us is different than all the other memorials. This is a one to the Doughboys. This is one to the World War I men who went off and fought for our country. They believed in something. They believed in the promise of America. Over 500 of them didn't make it home. On the way up here, I printed out the names of some of those men. I was looking at them, their ages, so much life that was unlived. I thought about my battalion. I served in one of the hardest-hit battalions of the Iraq War, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. 

We lost 33 Marines in combat. Over half our battalion, 576 Marines were wounded. I think about what those Marines and sailors gave their life for. I think about what we owe them in terms of what we do with our lives. Some of those guys that I served with, we have conversations ranging the political perspective. 

Some of them have gone off and fought in Ukraine. Some of them are marching in these protests. Some of them are doing the best they can to give meaning to their lives because they were the ones fortunate enough to go home. With those Marines that I served with, we've had all sorts of conversations about things we vehemently disagree about. We've had conversations. The last way to have a conversation is doing what these folks did to this memorial. That is not the start of a conversation. That is desecration. I'm glad we live in a city and we have a mayor that won't stand for that. I'm proud to bring up my colleague, the commissioner, Colonel James Hendon. James. Thank you.

Commissioner James Hendon, Department of Veterans' Services: Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is James Hendon. I serve as commissioner for the New York City Department of Veterans' Services. I just want to take a moment to speak about this monument in general, just from our friends at the Parks Department. Dedicated September 29, 1927, this is the 107th Infantry Memorial. It is one of eight World War I monuments in Central Park, and it's Central Park's largest war memorial. 

Four point seven members — 4.7 million members of the U.S. Armed Forces served in World War or the Great War: 204,000 were wounded, 116,516 died. This monument recognizes 350 men who died from the 107th and 900 who were wounded over a two-day period. The lineage traces back to the Revolutionary War for the 107th, and the sculpture symbolizes seven men bursting through from the woods, breaking the Hindenburg Line in Germany in September of 1918. When we look at those who served, past and present, our commitment to these men and women and their families throughout time as a nation, a state, a city, as an administration, our commitment transcends death. 

To pan back, the country's been around for 247, going on 248 years, in that time, 45 Americans have served in 12 major conflicts, 1.5 million wounded in action, 81,000 missing, 658,088 killed. What is bitter in its irony is that all who sacrificed and all who died would sacrifice and die again in order to protect the rights and freedoms of the very people who burned the flag and vandalized this monument yesterday evening. 

Of those who have and do fulfill military service, we are all races. We are all creeds. We are all genders, all disability types, all sexual orientations, all colors, all classes, all religions. That our allegiance is transcendent is what makes our country so strong. The power of America lies in our freedoms and our diversity. 

With that, rather than give the vandals what they wanted and speaking about whatever they want it on their terms, we choose to take the narrative back and make sure that military veterans and their families know that this city and this administration has their back at all times. 

As to our veteran community members, please know that the New York City Department of Veterans Services can be reached at 212-416-5250. Email is connect@veterans.nyc.gov. Website is nyc.gov/vets. Social media handle is @nycveterans. On issues ranging from healthcare to housing, to benefits, to culture, to education or employment, we're here. To anyone who is angry right now, because I'm angry too, I just want to say that. To anyone who is angry right now, we urge you to turn that anger into positive actions. Take steps to help do right by our military sisters and brothers and their families, past and present. We owe them that. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Over to any questions, if there are any.

Question: John Townsend, CBS News. I saw the flier. It's $10,000 for Crime Stoppers and an additional $5,000 from your own money, so $15,000. Right?

Mayor Adams: Yes. Yes. Yes. Dedicated in the name of my uncle, 19-year-old Uncle Joe. 

Question: Newsmax, do you have any leads on who these people might be?

Mayor Adams: Chief of Detectives Kenny is, we are, tracing down the leads, and we're asking anyone based on the fliers, the Crime Stoppers fliers, we're going to be posting this around. Every information will help us, there's a few social media leads we have, but we're going to continue to focus on that, but we're asking whomever, witness anything, to please let the New York City Police Department know.

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